Embassy of Japan in India :Japan Calling

As is already well known, the year 2007 is being celebrated as the “Japan-India Friendship Year” to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the cultural agreement between Japan and India, with the primary aims of expanding on people-to-people exchange and deepening the mutual understanding between Japan and India. Over 170 Japanese cultural events are being organized in different cities of India during the year as part of the ‘Japan Year in India’, to highlight the historical and cultural interchange between our two countries.

The Japan Year in India unfolded with a Grand Opening Ceremony at the residence of H.E. Mr. Yasukuni Enoki, Ambassador of Japan to India, on the 13^th of February 2007, at which Dr. Karan Singh, President – Indian Council for Cultural Relations, and other eminent people of Delhi were present. Former Japanese Prime Minister – Mr. Yoshiro Mori, Honorary Chairman, and Mr. Nobuo Ohashi – Chairman of the Japanese Executive Committee of Japan-India Friendship Year, graced the occasion.

Japan Embassy in ndia

Ambassador Enoki welcoming Dr. Karan Singh

The function began with a short address by Ambassador Enoki, during which he remarked that the holding of Japan Year in India gives out a very strong message for the need to deepen the mutual understanding between our two peoples and to consolidate our long-standing cultural bonds which commenced with the arrival of Buddhism to Japan from India.

H.E. Mr. Yoshiro Mori, Former Japanese Prime Minister and Chairman of the Executive Committee, who had been designated as the Special Envoy of the Prime Minister of Japan at the Opening Ceremony, relayed the message from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that Japan and India are partners for the peace and prosperity of the world at large, and should cooperate at various levels to strengthen their strategic partnership, and that the 50^th anniversary of the cultural agreement between Japan and India is a good opportunity to strengthen our bilateral ties.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Guest of the evening, Dr. Karan Singh, remarked that there are several ideological similarities between the goals of both countries and that our relations are like the “Sangam” (confluence) in Allahabad, where three holy rivers of India meet. Japan-India political ties are like the river Ganga; economic ties like the river Yamuna; and cultural ties like the river Saraswati. He hoped that the two countries’ relations would come even closer and develop into a powerful force to ensure the peace and prosperity of the world. Dr. Karan Singh ended his speech by reciting a Sanskrit shloka (verse) praying to Goddess Lakshmi to shower her blessings for the prosperity of the people of both the countries.