The Celebration of the birthday of His Majesty the Emperor of Japan and the 21st Anniversary of His Majesty’s Accession to the Throne was held at the Japanese Ambassador's residence on Wednesday, December 1, 2010.
Ambassador Tatsuaki Iwata hosted this reception which was attended by approximately 219 persons, including Dr. the Honorable Roodal Moonilal, Minister of Housing and the Environment and Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Ambassador Tatsuaki Iwata and Dr. the Honorable Roodal Moonilal gave remarks to celebrate the birthday of His Majesty the Emperor of Japan.
STATEMENT BY
HIS EXCELLENCY TATSUAKI IWATA
Guest of Honour, Dr. the Honourable Roodal Moonilal, Minister of Housing and the Environment and Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs
Honourable Ministers of Government
Honourable Members of Parliament and Senior Government Officials
My Fellow Colleagues, Excellencies, and other Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Members of the Media
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is indeed an honour for me to host this reception in celebration of the birthday of His Majesty, the Emperor of Japan. I wish to warmly welcome all of you, and thank you for your presence this evening.
This year has been a fruitful one for bilateral relations between Japan and Trinidad and Tobago. While our relations last year were mainly approached from a global perspective; this year we have seen these relations being advanced from a regional and bilateral outlook.
The main focus of our relations was centred on the 2nd Japan-CARICOM Foreign Ministers Conference held in September, which dealt with four major issues: the International Financial and Economic Crisis, Environment and Climate Change, Assistance for Reconstruction of Haiti, and the future direction of Japan-CARICOM Cooperation.
During the visit to Japan, Dr. Rambachan vigorously promoted economic relations, not only to the Foreign Minister of Japan but also to businesspeople. The Japanese side responded and expressed their intention to dispatch a trade and investment mission to Trinidad and Tobago. In order to attract maximum participation of private companies of Japan in the mission, a lot of preparation is necessary. This will be a top priority of our cooperation in 2011. We hope information concerning investment opportunities would be provided to us as much as possible.
In this connection, I wish to note that a most advanced IT company of Japan has expressed interest in the Tamana InTech Park. Also a global trading company is showing interest in energy-efficient power generation in the future.
Another direction of our future cooperation is youth exchange. Trinidad and Tobago’s hosted the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup this year. It afforded the opportunity to strengthen our relations through football. It is quite significant that Kumi Yokoyama has been nominated as a candidate for the 2010 FIFA Puskás Award, for a goal she scored in Trinidad and Tobago. She is the only female, as well as the youngest, among the ten candidates. This outstanding achievement speaks volumes for what young people can achieve through discipline and diligence.
In order to respond to the excellent work done by the host country, the Japan Football Association has offered to invite Under-17 female footballers of this country to Japan next summer, to participate in training aimed at enhancing their skills. By the way, Kumi's chances of being chosen as the best scorer in 2010 depend on our voting. Among the ten candidates, there are some strong candidates like Mr. Messi, so please cast your valuable vote for Kumi.
Another focus on youth is the airing of the Japanese television series "Oshin". This drama depicts the life of an impoverished young woman who overcomes poverty through hard work, sound family and community values. It is an exemplary portrayal of Japanese values and engenders a positive message for the Trinidad and Tobago youth. This drama has been popular in many countries to the extent that new-born girls were named "Oshin". I do hope that the local audience warmly receives this series.
Culture is also of high import to our relations. In September, we witnessed a symbolic cultural event as Japanese musicians collaborated with local artistes at NAPA. The musicians of different cultural backgrounds created an excellent musical fusion and charmed the audience far beyond our expectations. We hope that this unforgettable event will generate more opportunities of various inter-cultural exchanges between our two countries.
Japan's academic presence is equally important to our mission. For many years, students have learnt the Japanese language at the Centre for Language Learning of the UWI Campus. I am enthused to know that Japanese classes at the Centre would be upgraded to an accredited course. This coincides with our goal of establishing the foundation for the Japanese Language Proficiency test here in Trinidad and Tobago, an internationally recognised certification.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I now invite you to join me in making a toast to the health and well-being of the President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, and to the prosperity of the people of Trinidad and Tobago.
I thank you very much and do enjoy the rest of the evening.
STATEMENT BY
DR. THE HONOURABLE ROODAL MOONILAL,
Your Excellency Tatsuaki Iwata, Ambassador of Japan and Mrs. Iwata,
Honourable Ministers of Government,
Your Excellencies Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Other Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It gives me great pleasure, on behalf of the Government and the People of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, and on my own behalf, to extend very sincere greetings and heartfelt wishes to His Imperial Majesty Emperor Akihito of Japan on the 77th anniversary of his birth. May he and all the members of the Imperial Family enjoy long life, happiness, continued success and prosperity.
Excellency, today we celebrate the joyous occasion of the Emperor’s Birthday. Trinidad and Tobago and Japan enjoy strong bonds of friendship which our two nations have developed through diligent cooperation and commitment to our common objectives both at the bilateral and multilateral levels. We approach fifty (50) years of diplomatic relations and we continue to build on dynamic synergies in several fields including education, culture, fisheries, disaster risk management and sustainable waste management. In the near future, we envisage further collaboration in the areas of trade and commerce, security, tourism, science and technology, transportation, renewable energy and environmental management. I am confident Trinidad and Tobago and Japan will continue to cultivate fruitful relations at all levels.
Through the regional mechanism CARICOM, Trinidad and Tobago has sought to acquire an even deeper relationship with Japan. In September of this year, Trinidad and Tobago had the honour to participate in the Second CARICOM/ Japan Ministerial Level Conference in Tokyo. At that forum, the Trinidad and Tobago delegation held bilateral discussions with then Foreign Minister of Japan, His Excellency Katsuya Okada. In their interaction with viable corporations such as Fujitsu, Marubeni, Mitsubishi and the Japan Business Federation, our delegation provided a comprehensive briefing on Trinidad and Tobago’s current economic scenario, developmental thrust and diversification initiatives with particular reference to our strategic location advantages and investment opportunities especially in the Tamana InTech Park. Government’s interest in the continued and expanded operations and investment of Japanese companies in our country cannot be over emphasized.
At the CARICOM/Japan Conference, we held productive discussions with Japan on the future direction of CARICOM/ Japan Cooperation. Focus will be placed on cooperation in six (6) key areas, Overcoming Vulnerability and Promoting Human Security; Integration into the Global Economy, Environment and Climate Change; Assistance for the Reconstruction of Haiti; Cooperation in International Fora and Dialogue and Exchange between Japan and CARICOM. Solidarity and mutual cooperation on these vital issues will assist CARICOM member states and Japan in meeting their various challenges jointly.
Excellency, may I reiterate our appreciation for the contributions which Japan has made to the Assistance for the Reconstruction of Haiti and the sustainable development of the Caribbean region as a whole.
Excellency, Mrs. Iwata, Honoured Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, I invite you to join me in a toast as I extend warm birthday greetings to His Imperial Majesty Emperor Akihito and the Imperial Family and to the continued friendly relations between the Governments and Peoples of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and Japan.
To His Imperial Majesty!
Embassy of Japan in Trinidad and Tobago 