Remarks in April 2007
Mr. Shigenobu Kato, Ambassador of Japan, delivered a speech at the opening of the Photo Exhibition “Scenes of Childhood: Sixty Years of Postwar Japan” at the Greater Irbid Municipality on 16 April 2007
H.E. Eng. Ahmad Al-Gazwi, Lord Mayor of the Greater Irbid Municipality,
H.E. Mr. Ali Al-Fayez, Governor of Irbid Governorate,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On behalf of the Government of Japan, it gives me the great honor to welcome you all here, at the Greater Irbid Municipality, this morning to the Photo Exhibition under the title of “Scenes of Childhood: Sixty Years of Postwar Japan”.
I would like to begin my remarks by expressing my sincere congratulations to H.E. Eng. Ahmad Al-Ghazwi, on appointment of Irbid to the Jordanian capital of culture for 2007. As all of you know, this beautiful city commemorated the 125th anniversary of its establishment last year. These auspicious historical occasions in two consecutive years confirm a significant role that Irbid has played in Jordan.
Thus I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to H.E. Lord Mayor for His Excellency’s hospitality to provide the Embassy with a joyful opportunity to organize this Japanese exhibition at the Municipality as one of the first events within the Jordanian capital of culture for 2007. It is my great pleasure, both personally and from the view point of Japan-Jordan ties, to participate in the Jordanian capital of culture, the first cultural endeavor in its kind ever happened in Jordan.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The evolution of Information Technology which Internet represents has definitely shortened a gap between nations. However, an encounter with a real thing still deserves praise and attention. Breathtaking views over Yarmouk Valley from Umm Qais attract a lot of visitors this season in particular. Experiencing a non-virtual, real thing would indeed touch people deeply and bridge nations and civilizations.
In this perspective, the works of this photo exhibition are genuine art as well as real document of Japanese children for sixty years, dating from 1945, the end of the Second World War, to the present.
I myself was born in 1944. Looking back my career in the past sixty years, a thousand emotions crowd in on me. The scenes depicted in the photographs overlap my life, so that I can talk a lot about them. However, I am confident the photos would much rather talk to you.
To conclude my remarks, I would like to express my deep-rooted wish that an encounter with the real scenes of childhood for sixty years of Japan will further enhance the mutual understanding between Japan and Jordan as well as make each of us a fresh determination that we have to work together to realize a better tomorrow for next generation.
Thank you.
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