天皇誕生日レセプションにおける岡庭大使の挨拶の辞
令和6年3月7日
3月7日、岡庭健大使は、日本の国祭日である天皇誕生日に際するレセプションを主催しました。当日はムダバディ内閣筆頭長官兼外務・ディアスポラ担当長官を始め、国会議員、学識関係者など多くのVIPが出席されました。岡庭大使は、以下のとおり挨拶の辞を述べました。
Remarks by Ambassador Okaniwa at the Emperor’s Birthday Reception
Your Excellency, Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, Musalia Mudavadi,Honorable members of the National Assembly and the Senate,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is my great honour and pleasure to welcome you all.
On 23 February, Japan celebrated the 64th birthday of His Majesty Emperor Naruhito. Under the Constitution, the Emperor is the symbol of the country and of the unity of the people. I am very grateful that so many of you have joined us to celebrate this special occasion
Taking this opportunity, I am pleased to report that President Ruto’s recent visit to Japan in February was a great success. During his stay, the President had a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Kishida, had an audience with their Majesties the Emperor and Empress, visited the Toyota factory in Nagoya, attended the Kenya-Japan Business Forum, and had numerous meeting with Japanese top executives.
Both the Prime Cabinet Secretary and myself attended the banquet hosted by the Emperor for President Ruto and the First Lady. The occasion was truly a reflection of the very warm friendship between our two countries, with the table decorated with Kenyan red roses.
The meeting between the Prime Minister and the President was the second time since last May in Nairobi. Perhaps reflecting their friendship, the meeting was conducted in an very cordial atmosphere. I would like to share with you some of the highlights of the meeting.
First, Prime Minister Kishida and the President concurred in strengthening economic relations. The two governments signed the Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) to promote Public Private Partnership on infrastructure, a MOC on cooperation on ICT, and a MOU on Samurai Bonds. For your information, the issuance of the Samurai Bond by the Government of Kenya, made possible with the support by Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI), is expected in the next few months and Kenya will be the first country in Sub-Sahara Africa to achieve this. The President pledged to accelerate construction of the Dongo Kundu SEZ and the Mombasa Gate Bridge. The completion of these mega-projects will be a “game-changer” for the region generating investment, jobs and economic growth.
Second, the two leaders concurred in further strengthening defense cooperation and to work together towards peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and Africa. On this occasion the Statement of Intent on defense cooperation was signed by the two governments, which is the first of its kind for Japan with an African country.
Third, the two leaders agreed to cooperate in the international arena. They shared the importance of upholding the rule-based international order and not tolerating attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force. Japan and Kenya exchanged notes on Japan’s grant assistance amounting to about 3 billion KSH to KEMRI (Kenya Medical Research Institute). It will contribute to the health of the people in Kenya and other African countries, a concrete example of Japan and Kenya “co-creating” solutions to global issues as discussed by our two leaders.
The President’s visit also attracted the attention of the Japanese press. The press coverage informed the Japanese about the longstanding friendship between our two countries and the importance of Kenya as an “anchor” of stability in the region.
In the past, the President of Kenya has visited Japan many times for TICAD meetings and other multilateral occasions. But the last time a Kenyan President visited Japan on a bilateral official visit was in 2004. And visit by Prime Minister to Nairobi last year reciprocated by President Ruto in the period under one year is an extremely rare occurrence, probably the first time in the history of Japan-Africa relations. This is nothing but a reflection of the importance Japan attaches to its relations with Kenya. As Ambassador of Japan to Kenya, I feel lucky to be part of such an historic achievement.
This was only possible because our two countries share basic values such as democracy ad rule of law, and also because of the longstanding friendship and cooperation during the last 60 years. I wish to thank the President, Prime Cabinet Secretary Mudavadi and all those who have contributed to the historic visit. I look forward to continue working with my counterparts to follow-up the visit.
In this connection, I wish to introduce my new Deputy, Counsellor Hiroshi Ogihara. I hope that you will accord the him friendship and cooperation during his posting in Nairobi.
On March 3, Kenyan male runners placed 1st , 2nd and 3rd at the Tokyo Marathon. I congratulate them and Kenya for this outstanding result. My wish is that not just the athletes but more and more Kenyans will have an opportunity to visit Japan. By increasing people-to-people exchanges the bond of friendship will be further strengthened and both countries will benefit from their experiences.
END