REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT AN EVENING BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY/ACADEMIC RECEPTION, KYOTO
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT AN EVENING BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY/ACADEMIC RECEPTION, KYOTO, FRIDAY, 18 MARCH, 2005.
Dia dhíbh a chairde.
Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen,
Both Martin and I are very pleased to have this opportunity to visit Japan and to be here in Kyoto, its cultural capital. Today I had time to do some sightseeing, not nearly enough time to really relish all this beautiful city has to offer but enough to appreciate the miraculous blend of traditional and new and to wish there were more hours in the day.
It is good to see so many friends of Ireland in this part of the world so far away yet so tied to Ireland by bonds of friendship and of business for I know that among us are many who have been working with Ireland for years. I thank you for your support, your interest in Ireland and I assure you of Ireland’s long-term commitment to working and working well with you.
Japan is globally renowned for its world-class technology and engineering capabilities, sophisticated consumers and its integrity in business. It is also Ireland’s most important market in Asia.
The past ten years have seen a significant market reorientation by Irish exporters and specifically by SME companies. Understandably, the European market is Ireland's principal trading area and accounts for three-quarters of all our exports. But there is also a parallel development in Irish export performance with more Irish companies becoming increasingly global in their marketing outlook. About one-quarter of all indigenous Irish exports are now sold in markets beyond Europe with Japan featuring increasingly in the sights of Irish companies.
We see opportunities for our companies in Japan across many sectors and we welcome the significant recent progress that follows on from our search for new business opportunities. We also see opportunities in partnering with Japanese companies and sharing expertise and international market access strategies. Ireland is well placed within the European Union and has a strong business relationship with the US. This makes Ireland an ideal test-bed for new technologies and an ideal partner for Japan in jointly targeting selected Western markets.
There is more to life than markets and business and we are keen to broaden and deepen our relationships with Japan in terms of social and cultural exchange and where better to do so than Kyoto! These are powerful forces that enhance the quality of our lives, promote peace, goodwill and global neighbourliness. Japan’s vibrant culture and traditions go back to the very dawn of civilisation and have much to offer in enriching our cultural experiences in Ireland. Likewise we believe we have much to offer in this regard too.
Japan has captured the heart and imagination of many of our people, particularly our young people and we have witnessed a heightened interest in learning Japanese in Ireland with four of our universities now teaching the language. Japanese is now also taught at second-level under an initiative by our Department of Education and Science to promote diversification in language teaching and learning. Ireland has become an increasingly popular place for Japanese tourists and there was a dramatic increase in the numbers welcomed to Ireland last year - some 30,000. We welcome these positive steps in the developing relationships between our two countries and its peoples that geography and history made difficult in days gone by.
I believe that my visit here at this time when the Irish and friends of Ireland across the world celebrate our National day, the Feast of St. Patrick, underlines the importance we place on building even stronger bonds of respect and friendship between the peoples of Japan and Ireland. To this end also, we look forward in May this year to welcoming their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan to Ireland. This is a year of special investment in the rich bonds of friendship between Ireland and Japan and from it will, I hope, come a future climate of close co-operation from which our children will greatly benefit. On the day after St. Patrick’s Day I offer you the warmest of greetings from Ireland and every success in all you do to enhance the warm, friendly relationships between two distant countries and cultures who have so much to offer each other.
Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh go léir. Go raibh míle maith agaibh.