REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, MARY McALEESE AT AN ENTERPRISE IRELAND BUSINESS LUNCH, TOKYO
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, MARY McALEESE AT AN ENTERPRISE IRELAND BUSINESS LUNCH, TOKYO, WEDNESDAY, 16 MARCH, 2005
Dia dhíbh a chairde’s Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh go léir.
Ladies and Gentleman,
My thanks to you all for that very generous welcome. It is wonderful to be here in Japan, my first visit to this country and to experience the warmth and friendship extended to Martin, to me and the accompanying delegation. I would like to thank you all for making the time to be with us today, for your presence creates a valuable opportunity for dialogue, discussion, exchange and networking at a very senior level of business leadership. I am encouraged to see the level of interest in Ireland held by so many distinguished members of the Japanese business community.
Ireland has a link with this the Akebono room that may not be obvious at first glance. Akebono became the first foreign-born sumo wrestler to achieve the prestigious yokozuna level (highest level in sumo wrestling). You will know him as a famous Hawaian but one of his grandparents was Irish so we too can lay some claim to his name and fame.
Ireland is fortunate to have many good friends in Japan. 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, but in truth Ireland has had only very limited contact with Japan – social, political or trading – until comparatively recently.
Japan is the most important market for Ireland in Asia. By the efforts of its people it enjoys the position of being both the largest economy in Asia and the second biggest economy in the world. Japan is globally renowned for its world-class technology and engineering capabilities, sophisticated consumers and integrity in business.
In Ireland over the past ten years we have witnessed a significant market re-orientation by our exporters and specifically by SME companies. The European market is Ireland's principal trading area, accounting for three-quarters of all our exports. But there is also a parallel development in Irish export performance that deserves mention and that is that more and more Irish companies have become increasingly global in their marketing outlook. About one-quarter of all indigenous Irish exports are now sold in markets beyond Europe and Japan is increasingly in the sights of Irish companies.
We see opportunities for our companies with Japan across many sectors with very significant recent progress being made in terms of actively seeking out new business. But 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 both an ideal test bed for new technologies and an equally ideal partner for Japan in jointly targeting selected Western markets.
While our focus today is on trade and investment we know that in doing more business with Japan, we are also getting to know each other better, strengthening our relationships, understanding each other, building on the existing good political and economic co-operation, and social and cultural exchange. These are powerful forces that serve to enhance our lives, promote peace, goodwill and global neighbourliness. The vibrant culture and traditions of Japan go back to the very dawn of civilisation and have much to offer in enriching our cultural experiences in Ireland.
My presence here today is evidence of our commitment to support and develop our mutual interests with Japan and create greater awareness of the potential for Ireland as your business partner. I am confident that this will be yet another successful trade mission, both in sales and in the formation of lasting partnerships between Irish and Japanese companies. May you enjoy much success in everything you do and may relationships between Ireland and Japan flourish bringing prosperity and partnership to both our peoples.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh.