| Speaker | Yohei Kono, former Speaker of the House of Representatives Dr. Georg Jarzembowski, former Chairman of the Delegation of the European Parliament for Relations with Japan Laurens Jan Brinkhorst, former Minister of Economic Affairs/former Deputy Prime Minister, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, former Head of Delegation of the European Union to Japan Hugh Richardson, Head of Delegation of the European Union to Japan |
|---|---|
| MC | Dominic Al-Badri, Political Analyst of EU Delegation |
| Moderator | Prof. Hidetoshi Nakamura |
| Date | 12 January, 2010 |
| Venue | Ibuka International Conference Hall, Waseda University |
| Language | English and Japanese (Simultaneous Translation) |
| Note | Number of participants: 300 |
Mr. Dominic Al-Badri explained that the event commemorates the 10th anniversary of Mr. Kono's speech "Seeking a Millennium Partnership: New Dimensions in Japan-Europe Cooperation", given in Paris in January 2000. Professor Shozo Iijima, Senior Dean of the Faculty of Political Science and Economics, Waseda University, thanked Dr. Georg Jarzembowski and Mr. Laurens Jan Brinkhorst for coming from Europe for the event, and also expressed his gratitude to Mr. Yohei Kono, who is now also an Extraordinary Professor of Waseda University.
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Dr. Georg Jarzembowski, former Chairman of the Delegation of the European Parliament for Relations with Japan, explained how vigorously Mr. Kono had contributed to the EU-Japan relationship at both the executive and parliamentary level.
Mr. Kono ser ved as Foreign Minister in the Obuchi cabinet formed in autumn 1999, and delivered his speech in Paris in January 2000. He revealed that his intention was the
intensification of the EU-Japan relationship, which had not been close, and noted with regret that this relationship had not developed sufficiently in the last 10 years. Mr. Kono expressed his hope that the next 10 years of EU-Japan relations could result in the conclusion of an EPA, and in the worldwide elimination of nuclear weapons. American President Barack Obama proposed a world without nuclear weapons, and the EU and Japan together had a role to play in mobilizing international public opinion. Both the EU and Japan have significant cultural legacies; Japan has "The Tale of Genji" and Europe has Mediterranean civilization. Finally, Mr. Kono emphasized the importance of developing personal relationships with European people, and sharing views, and he hoped that the younger generation would undertake that role.
【Response: Mr. Laurens Jan Brinkhorst, former Minister of Economic Affairs, former Deputy Prime Minister, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, former Head of Delegation of
the European Union to Japan】
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Mr. Brinkhorst, who served as Head of Delegation of the European Union to Japan from 1983 to 1987, was on first-name terms with Mr. Kono. When he first met the young Mr. Kono, he said, the world was operating under the absolute economic supremacy of the U.S., and it was natural that most Japanese did not have any real interest in Europe, with little knowledge of the European Commission or European integration. Whilst EU-Japan
relations had for a long time remained economic in nature, Mr. Kono, a person of foresight, understood early on the significance of the EU as a project for the advancement of common political values and interests.
Mr. Brinkhorst praised the speech made by Mr. Kono in 2000, in which he proposed a new partnership between Japan and Europe based on: 1) shared values, while respecting cultural diversity; 2) strengthened political cooperation and 3) sharing the benefits of globalization. The speech triggered the adoption of a 10-year action plan for EU-Japan Co-operation in 2001. Mr. Brinkhorst further explained that there would be a need to strengthen multilateral frameworks to govern key international problems. Also, although regional integration structures would become more and more important in an ever more complex world, it would still be important to strengthen the bilateral relationship, in areas such as R&D, energy security, development cooperation and the ultimate elimination of nuclear weapons. With the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty in December 2009, the EU's organizational structure was reformed. Its external cohesion would bring about a new image of the EU, and Mr. Kono could be counted on to keep promoting EU-Japan relations. 3. Dialogue with Students
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In his capacity as moderator, Professor Hidetoshi Nakamura led the dialogue among the speakers and students. There were many questions, covering issues such as people-to-people exchanges, for example business or student exchange, religious and political tensions between Christianity and Islam, prospects for the foundation of an East Asian Community, and the elimination of nuclear weapons.
Ambassador Richardson, Head of Delegation of the European Union to Japan, gave closing remarks. Mr. Richardson paid his respect to Mr. Kono for his 40 years of experience and wisdom. He also expressed his appreciation to Mr. Brinkhorst and Dr.
Jarzembowski for coming from Europe, and to the students in the auditorium. He emphasized that EU-Japan relations still had significant room for improvement in areas such as the expansion of trade and investment, global warming, and food
security. He suggested that the EU and Japan could increase their international influence by speaking with one voice. It is necessary to hear the views of various stakeholders from the younger generation to facilitate the development of a new action plan, and the event had been successful in this regard.
Dr. Georg Jarzembowski, former Chairman of the Delegation of the European Parliament for Relations with Japan, explained how vigorously Mr. Kono had contributed to the EU-Japan relationship at both the executive and parliamentary level.
2. Speeches
【Keynote speech: Mr. Yohei Kono, former Speaker of the House of Representatives】
Mr. Kono ser ved as Foreign Minister in the Obuchi cabinet formed in autumn 1999, and delivered his speech in Paris in January 2000. He revealed that his intention was the
intensification of the EU-Japan relationship, which had not been close, and noted with regret that this relationship had not developed sufficiently in the last 10 years. Mr. Kono expressed his hope that the next 10 years of EU-Japan relations could result in the conclusion of an EPA, and in the worldwide elimination of nuclear weapons. American President Barack Obama proposed a world without nuclear weapons, and the EU and Japan together had a role to play in mobilizing international public opinion. Both the EU and Japan have significant cultural legacies; Japan has "The Tale of Genji" and Europe has Mediterranean civilization. Finally, Mr. Kono emphasized the importance of developing personal relationships with European people, and sharing views, and he hoped that the younger generation would undertake that role.
【Response: Mr. Laurens Jan Brinkhorst, former Minister of Economic Affairs, former Deputy Prime Minister, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, former Head of Delegation of
the European Union to Japan】(C)N Kawaguchi_EU
Mr. Brinkhorst, who served as Head of Delegation of the European Union to Japan from 1983 to 1987, was on first-name terms with Mr. Kono. When he first met the young Mr. Kono, he said, the world was operating under the absolute economic supremacy of the U.S., and it was natural that most Japanese did not have any real interest in Europe, with little knowledge of the European Commission or European integration. Whilst EU-Japan
relations had for a long time remained economic in nature, Mr. Kono, a person of foresight, understood early on the significance of the EU as a project for the advancement of common political values and interests.Mr. Brinkhorst praised the speech made by Mr. Kono in 2000, in which he proposed a new partnership between Japan and Europe based on: 1) shared values, while respecting cultural diversity; 2) strengthened political cooperation and 3) sharing the benefits of globalization. The speech triggered the adoption of a 10-year action plan for EU-Japan Co-operation in 2001. Mr. Brinkhorst further explained that there would be a need to strengthen multilateral frameworks to govern key international problems. Also, although regional integration structures would become more and more important in an ever more complex world, it would still be important to strengthen the bilateral relationship, in areas such as R&D, energy security, development cooperation and the ultimate elimination of nuclear weapons. With the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty in December 2009, the EU's organizational structure was reformed. Its external cohesion would bring about a new image of the EU, and Mr. Kono could be counted on to keep promoting EU-Japan relations. 3. Dialogue with Students
(C)N Kawaguchi_EU
In his capacity as moderator, Professor Hidetoshi Nakamura led the dialogue among the speakers and students. There were many questions, covering issues such as people-to-people exchanges, for example business or student exchange, religious and political tensions between Christianity and Islam, prospects for the foundation of an East Asian Community, and the elimination of nuclear weapons.
4. Closing remarks
Ambassador Richardson, Head of Delegation of the European Union to Japan, gave closing remarks. Mr. Richardson paid his respect to Mr. Kono for his 40 years of experience and wisdom. He also expressed his appreciation to Mr. Brinkhorst and Dr.
Jarzembowski for coming from Europe, and to the students in the auditorium. He emphasized that EU-Japan relations still had significant room for improvement in areas such as the expansion of trade and investment, global warming, and food
security. He suggested that the EU and Japan could increase their international influence by speaking with one voice. It is necessary to hear the views of various stakeholders from the younger generation to facilitate the development of a new action plan, and the event had been successful in this regard.
Reference: Relationship between Japan and the EU
(Japanese)
(Japanese)Delegation to the European Union to Japan: Event Page