Ambassador's Speech at The 63rd Birthday Celebration for His Majesty the Emperor of Japan
2023/2/21
His Excellency Surangel S. Whipps, Jr., The President of the Republic of Palau. Vice President and Minister of Justice and all other ministers. Ibedul, Reklai, Bilung and all other traditional leaders. Senate President and all other Senators. Speaker of the House of Delegates and all other Delegates. Chief Justice and all other Justices. H.E Richelle Turner, Ambassador of Australia and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps. Mr. Jim Boughner, Charge d’Affaires ad interim of the U.S. Embassy. Governors, Diplomatic Corps, Distinguished Guests, Colleagues, and Friends. Media personnel, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Ungil Kebesengei. Good evening. こんばんは。
Please allow me to sincerely welcome all of you to our reception celebrating the birthday of His Majesty the Emperor of Japan Naruhito. I am delighted and honored to celebrate His Majesty’s birthday here today with so many friends of Japan in Palau.
His Majesty will be 63 years old on February 23rd. He succeeded to the Throne as the 126th Emperor of Japan on 1st May 2019, beginning the Reiwa era, following the abdication of his father His Majesty the Emperor Emeritus Akihito, who many of you may remember visited Palau in April 2015 with Her Majesty Empress Emerita.
In September last year, His Majesty the Emperor of Japan met with President Whipps twice just over the course of one month. This is extraordinary under the Japanese imperial household protocols and it is indeed a testament to the “tokubetsu” friendship between our countries.
Ladies & Gentlemen, I, as the Ambassador of Japan to Palau, would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere respect and appreciation to the Government and the people of Palau for your unwavering support to the Government and the people of Japan, especially, Mr. President and his team, Traditional Leaders, Senators & Delegates, and Governors. As you know well, our joined history dates back to 1821 when the crew of the Japanese drifter Jinja Maru arrived on the shores of Palau. Records indicate that the people of Palau not only warmly welcomed, but also swiftly established a trusting relationship from their heart-to-heart contact with the castaway crew. When I heard this story, I, as a Japanese, felt respect and gratitude toward the people of Palau. I believe that these warm-hearted people of Palau from this legendary tale must be the ancestors of all of you present here this evening. I also could not forget to mention that there are as many as 25% of the Palauans have Japanese ancestry, including the “Sakurakai” members here this evening. Their presence is critically important for our bilateral relationship to carry on the historical ties the younger generations.
Ladies & Gentlemen, we all recognize that today, Palau, located in the heart of the Pacific Ocean, has become the strategic center in the Indo-Pacific region as a cornerstone of a Free and Open Indo Pacific. Palau faces the imminent threats to alter the status quo in the region, but also challenges relating to illegal movement of finances and people, fishing, and smuggling. The Prime Minister of Japan His Excellency Kishida Fumio and President Whipps held a meeting in Tokyo on 9 September 2022 to discuss how we could leverage the strength of our partnership to address these challenges.
Although it has been less than three months since I took up this post, I have been immensely impressed and inspired by Palauan leaders who serve this great country and its citizens.
President Whipps has given me perhaps the warmest of all welcomes and is especially dedicated to moving forward our joint projects and programs. My face seems to be a reminder to Mr. President of all the work that we must do! This includes, of course, the establishment of a direct flight from Japan to Palau, improvement of Minatobashi, repairment of calvert, and other projects.
I have the privilege of meeting with Mr. President often and he has taken to greeting me with “Ambassador, Direct flight” as his first words. Mr. President, I am grateful for the trust that you have placed in me, and I thank you for your warm welcome.
I know that we, Japan and Palau will achieve great things together. But I also know, in order for us to develop and maintain prosperity in our countries in an era of competition, it is essential for each and every one of us as Japanese or Palauan, like our disciplined leaders here, to do the right thing as a human being, and work hard and work hard together based on universal values, such as freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law, and the international order.
Ladies & Gentlemen, His Majesty the Emperor of Japan said in his new year’s statement, "I understand there are many difficulties, but I pray people will be able to keep supporting each other to overcome adverse situations. I wish for the new year to be one in which people in Japan and the rest of the world can walk with hope."
In closing my remarks, I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to my honorable guests here for sparing your precious evening and gracing this occasion with your presence. I wish you every happiness and prosperity, and please enjoy the food, the drinks, and the company of excellent people.
Kom Kmal mesaul. Thank you very much. ありがとうございました。
Ungil Kebesengei. Good evening. こんばんは。
Please allow me to sincerely welcome all of you to our reception celebrating the birthday of His Majesty the Emperor of Japan Naruhito. I am delighted and honored to celebrate His Majesty’s birthday here today with so many friends of Japan in Palau.
His Majesty will be 63 years old on February 23rd. He succeeded to the Throne as the 126th Emperor of Japan on 1st May 2019, beginning the Reiwa era, following the abdication of his father His Majesty the Emperor Emeritus Akihito, who many of you may remember visited Palau in April 2015 with Her Majesty Empress Emerita.
In September last year, His Majesty the Emperor of Japan met with President Whipps twice just over the course of one month. This is extraordinary under the Japanese imperial household protocols and it is indeed a testament to the “tokubetsu” friendship between our countries.
Ladies & Gentlemen, I, as the Ambassador of Japan to Palau, would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere respect and appreciation to the Government and the people of Palau for your unwavering support to the Government and the people of Japan, especially, Mr. President and his team, Traditional Leaders, Senators & Delegates, and Governors. As you know well, our joined history dates back to 1821 when the crew of the Japanese drifter Jinja Maru arrived on the shores of Palau. Records indicate that the people of Palau not only warmly welcomed, but also swiftly established a trusting relationship from their heart-to-heart contact with the castaway crew. When I heard this story, I, as a Japanese, felt respect and gratitude toward the people of Palau. I believe that these warm-hearted people of Palau from this legendary tale must be the ancestors of all of you present here this evening. I also could not forget to mention that there are as many as 25% of the Palauans have Japanese ancestry, including the “Sakurakai” members here this evening. Their presence is critically important for our bilateral relationship to carry on the historical ties the younger generations.
Ladies & Gentlemen, we all recognize that today, Palau, located in the heart of the Pacific Ocean, has become the strategic center in the Indo-Pacific region as a cornerstone of a Free and Open Indo Pacific. Palau faces the imminent threats to alter the status quo in the region, but also challenges relating to illegal movement of finances and people, fishing, and smuggling. The Prime Minister of Japan His Excellency Kishida Fumio and President Whipps held a meeting in Tokyo on 9 September 2022 to discuss how we could leverage the strength of our partnership to address these challenges.
Although it has been less than three months since I took up this post, I have been immensely impressed and inspired by Palauan leaders who serve this great country and its citizens.
President Whipps has given me perhaps the warmest of all welcomes and is especially dedicated to moving forward our joint projects and programs. My face seems to be a reminder to Mr. President of all the work that we must do! This includes, of course, the establishment of a direct flight from Japan to Palau, improvement of Minatobashi, repairment of calvert, and other projects.
I have the privilege of meeting with Mr. President often and he has taken to greeting me with “Ambassador, Direct flight” as his first words. Mr. President, I am grateful for the trust that you have placed in me, and I thank you for your warm welcome.
I know that we, Japan and Palau will achieve great things together. But I also know, in order for us to develop and maintain prosperity in our countries in an era of competition, it is essential for each and every one of us as Japanese or Palauan, like our disciplined leaders here, to do the right thing as a human being, and work hard and work hard together based on universal values, such as freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law, and the international order.
Ladies & Gentlemen, His Majesty the Emperor of Japan said in his new year’s statement, "I understand there are many difficulties, but I pray people will be able to keep supporting each other to overcome adverse situations. I wish for the new year to be one in which people in Japan and the rest of the world can walk with hope."
In closing my remarks, I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to my honorable guests here for sparing your precious evening and gracing this occasion with your presence. I wish you every happiness and prosperity, and please enjoy the food, the drinks, and the company of excellent people.
Kom Kmal mesaul. Thank you very much. ありがとうございました。