Mayor Opstelten,
State Secretary Heemskerk,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,

It is my great honour to be able to participate in this important event just a few months after my arrival to the Netherlands. I am truly grateful to Mayor Opstelten and his staff for kindly agreeing to organize this ceremony in this magnificent city hall of Rotterdam. I am happy to have this kick off ceremony here in this city, from where the Liefde sailed from for Japan in 1598 and which was the starting point of the Dutch- Japanese relationship.

For two centuries after the Dutch merchants were permitted to establish a permanent trading post in Hirado in 1609, which was later moved to Dejima Island, Japan maintained a policy of isolation. During that period the Netherlands was the only Western country with which Japan had contact. Even though the contact was limited,   the curiosity of both the Dutch and Japanese did not stop them from learning about each other’s society, people, culture and technology. They appreciated their differences and respected each other.

With the involvement of the Netherlands, Japan ended its isolation policy almost 150 years ago. The Netherlands also played an important role in the negotiation on the treaty of Amity and Commerce between Japan and Western countries such as the US, the United Kingdom, France and, of course, the Netherlands. Personally I found it interesting that the negotiations with all these countries were conducted in Dutch. This was not unusual because there were many translators and scholars who studied the Dutch language at that time.

One of the scholars was Yukichi Fukuzawa, a Japanese academic, famous for his image which is printed on our 10,000 yen bill. He was born in 1835, and studied Rangaku, or Dutch studies in broader sense, when he was young. After Japan had opened its doors to the West, exchanges in various fields began. Japan sent many student and numerous delegations to learn more about the social system and technology of Western countries as part of its modernization process. In 1861 Fukuzawa was sent to Europe as a member of a delegation. He reached Rotterdam in 1862 and visited The Hague, Leiden and Amsterdam. Later he wrote about his impression of the visit. He said: “Among all of the European countries which I visited this time, we were received the best in the Netherlands. It must be because of our 300 year-old relationship. I felt at home”.

Much has changed since 150 years ago when Fukuzawa visited to the Netherlands. However I agree with Mr. Fukuzawa and I believe more than 7000 Japanese people living here feel the same way.
On various occasions, I am pleasantly surprised with the richness and the depth of our relationship, for example, when I see the Japanese collections well preserved by various museums in the Netherlands. Without those collections, we might not feel the rich legacy of our 400-year relationship with reality. I am most grateful for the continuous support given to us by the Dutch authorities and people who try their best to accommodate our wishes.

In the coming two years, we will organize a number of exchange programs and cultural events, through which we will witness a further strengthening and maturity of our relationship. I sincerely hope that our unique relationship will lead us to a new chapter of our partnership.

Thank-you.

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