Remarks at the Ireland Japan Association Annual Dinner
Dublin, 17th February 2012
Dia dhíbh a chairde go léir. Tá an áthas orm bheith i bhur measc anocht. Míle bhuíochas daoibh as an gcuireadh agus an fáilte.
Ambassador, Ladies and Gentlemen
For more than 40 years and in various incarnations, the Ireland Japan Association has played a hugely positive role in growing and deepening relations between our two countries and for that, as President, I congratulate you and thank you. I am very, very pleased to have the opportunity to join you here tonight at your Annual Dinner. I am sorry to hear however that your Chairperson, Donagh Morris who invited me here on behalf of your Association can’t be with us this evening as he was taken ill in recent weeks. I wish him well.
To say that the past year has been a tumultuous one for Japan is an understatement. In March, last, I with my fellow country men and women watched with alarm and dismay the tragic events of the Great East Japan Earthquake and the ensuing tsunami unfold. Those images of suffering and devastation moved us deeply. Compounded by the nuclear accident that followed at the Fukushima power plant, this triple disaster presented the perfect storm that would have tested the resources and character of any nation, even one as well prepared for natural disasters as Japan. I would like to take this opportunity to convey to this audience my deep sympathy and support for all those whose lives have been affected by those events.
On a personal level I was touched by the stories which emerged to show the heroism of ordinary people when faced with disaster. School teachers gave their lives to save their students, government officials stayed at their post beyond the last moment to broadcast warning messages and countless other examples of the Japanese people making the ultimate sacrifice in the cause of others which touched all of our hearts.
The aftermath of the disaster showed the strong bonds that bind communities together. The whole world was impressed with the manner in which the Japanese people responded to the crisis. The calm determination with which the rescue efforts were carried out and the mobilisation of an entire country to support those affected by the disaster have made a lasting impression on people throughout this planet.
We in Ireland were glad to make our contribution to helping the recovery process, both through the Government’s support for the Japanese Red Cross and through the work of organisations and individuals around the country. Many of you in this room made great efforts through the various initiatives of the Ireland Japan Association but also personally to aid the recovery. Last December, a group of Irish musicians, including Anúna and Liam Ó Maonlaí, with the support of our Embassy in Tokyo, travelled to the eastern part of Japan to bring hope and encouragement to the people who suffered so much from the disaster. This was well received and demonstrates the extraordinary power of music to serve as a bridge between peoples. Japan, thankfully, is now on the path to recovery and although this will not be an easy journey, Ireland, a country with a long history of friendship with Japan will do all it can to help.
The relationship between Ireland and Japan has grown significantly in recent years and now encompasses not only our strong economic links, but also the full range of cultural, educational, political and social ties, not to mention those binding ties of human interest and friendship which make life so fulfilled and worthwhile. Japan has captured the hearts and imaginations of many Irish people, particularly our young people and we have witnessed a heightened interest in learning Japanese in Ireland with its inclusion in the Leaving Cert syllabus as well as several universities now offering courses in the language.
I was particularly pleased to see the establishment of the Irish Institute for Japanese Studies in UCC last year. The Institute is the first of its kind in Ireland and will make a significant contribution to the development of Japanese studies here and provide a focal point for those interested in the promotion of Japanese research and teaching in Ireland.
Of course as you all know, some of the oldest links between Ireland and Japan are in the field of education and it is a matter of some pride to us in Ireland that one of the most influential writers and educators in Japan at the end of the nineteenth century was an Irishman, Lafcadio Hearn. His influence on his students in Japan is evident from an account given by one of his colleagues who happened to enter his class one day, and described the scene:
“I opened the door and went in. The first two or three rows of his students ... were all in tears…. Hearn had been reading some very simple English poem; and there was the effect.”
I am heartened to think of Japanese students being so moved by Hearn’s reading although not necessarily to think of them reduced to tears!
We are proud of the influence of this Irish educator and writer on generations of Japanese students and of his contribution at a time of significant change in Japan’s national development. He believed then what we know to be true today, that communication and dialogue are vital to the growth of any nation. I am encouraged that this spirit lives on through the many Irish young people participating in the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme. The knowledge and experience they bring to their students in Japan is enormously useful in building links between our two countries and the fond memories they bring back to Ireland help nourish and sustain the much-valued and lasting friendship between our two peoples.
If exchanges between young people are vital to continuing our various links with Japan, so also are contacts among professional artists. In 2010, Neil Jordan chaired the jury of the Tokyo International Film Festival, while renowned poet Paul Muldoon was the keynote speaker at the Annual Conference of the International Association for the Study of Irish Literatures in Kyoto last year. Irish musicians and dancers of all schools visit Japan on a regular basis and artists such as Enya and U2 are hugely popular. In fact Riverdance even has one Japanese member whose skill and experience are shared with his students in a Tokyo Irish Dance Academy.
When we think of cultural connections between Ireland and Japan, we think also of the collection of the Chester Beatty Library, which includes priceless Japanese Treasures, dating back to the 17th Century, or Edo period. These beautiful works offer us another glimpse into the richness and variety of Japanese culture. We can be justly proud of the strong ties this invaluable collection has brought about, both in connections between our art institutions, and in the countless numbers of tourists who have travelled here to see the historical riches housed there.
Ireland and Japan have also developed further our economic ties in recent years. Japan is one of the most important markets for Ireland in Asia and is globally renowned for its world-class technology and engineering capabilities, sophisticated consumers and integrity in business. Irish companies continue to look to Japan as a good place to do business and I know that our food sector in particular has found Japan to be a country which appreciates the high quality of our produce. Here in Ireland, Japanese companies have played a key role in helping us develop our economy and, more recently, in helping us too to recover from the economic downturn. The manner in which Japanese companies have maintained their investments here and their long term commitment to Ireland is one of the most important elements in our bilateral relations.
There are barriers that have separated our two island nations – thousands of miles of land and ocean, and separate tracks of history, culture and language. But if isolation was sometimes a theme in the history of both countries, then in more recent times an open, international outlook and an active participation in the global society have become defining features of both Ireland and Japan. This has obviously been to the immense benefit of people in both countries, in so many aspects of their lives. Now that our world has become so much easier to traverse, our two peoples have begun to experience a deeper and more mutually beneficial contact than the simple inheritance of history and geography would have allowed us.
Ireland is fortunate to have many good friends in Japan and to have so many friends of Japan here. We have, for generations, been an emigrating people and while most of our emigrants are to be found in North America, Australia and Britain, a few brought the story of Ireland to Japan, where like their predecessor Lafcadio Hearn, they are making a positive contribution to Japan while also promoting Ireland and its culture.
We live in an interdependent world. We share a vulnerable planet.
In today’s world the fate of every nation is bound up with that of others, no matter how distant, and the growing connections between Ireland and Japan are both welcome and important. The Irish Government’s commitment to intensify our involvement with Asia, and the policy of the Japanese Government to increase inward investment and the numbers of foreign tourists coming to Japan fit very well with the demands of the new millennium. Japan is the country with which we have the longest established official ties in the region and importantly it is also a country with which we share a strong commitment to democracy, human rights and the rule of law. That value system makes us natural partners as well as good friends.
We can be confident that Japan will overcome the challenges arising from the tragic events of less than a year ago and you should know that Ireland will continue to play its part in aiding that recovery. We value our relationship with Japan as an important partner for Ireland in political and economic terms but also as a cherished friend in so many other ways. It is through the work of organisations such as the Ireland Japan Association and through the personal commitment of each person here this evening that the close ties between us can be made even stronger. May it be so in all the years ahead.
Is iontach an obair atá ar siúl agaibh. Go raibh fada buan sibh agus go raibh míle, míle maith agaibh.
Thank You.