Decoration of former Ambassador of Japan to Greece H.E. Mr. Hiroshi Toda with the Grand Cross of the Order of the Phoenix (December 20, 2013)

The Ambassador’s speech and photos from the event follow underneath:

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to welcome you all today to the Greek residence for the decoration of H.E. Ambassador Hiroshi Toda with the Grand Cross of the Order of the Phoenix. To you all, honourable guests from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and here I greet Ambassador Shigeyuki Hiroki, Chief of Protocol, and distinguished representatives of the private sector, I would like to express my thanks for attending today’s ceremony.

To start, I’d like to congratulate Ambassador Toda on his successful tenure as ambassador of Japan to Greece. While our direct diplomatic interaction has been somewhat limited, this underscores the fact that our countries’ partnership has always and continues to be close and uncomplicated. During this time of global economic uneasiness, Ambassador Toda, coming from a business background, was the ideal candidate for this difficult or not job. As the celebrated Greek playwright Aristophanes famously said, “Let each man exercise the art he knows.”  Ambassador Toda’s successful efforts towards our mutual economic benefit have left an indelible mark on Greco-Japan relations. While we still face many shared challenges, the economic partnership between our two countries is seeing a renaissance of sorts, as evidenced by the recent resurgence in Greek shipbuilding here in Japan. This welcome development is benefiting Greece and also bringing critical jobs and capital to Japan while supporting the aims of Abe-nomics.

Naturally, our countries’ relationship is not based merely on economics, where much remains to be accomplished, and I would like to take this opportunity to introduce two guests that represent the multifaceted connection between Greece and Japan. Firstly, acclaimed sculptor Mr. Masaaki Noda, is in attendance this morning. Mr. Noda, who resides in New York, visits Japan and Greece quite often, and has sculptures on display in both countries, including in Marathon and Delphi in Greece and in Matsue, Japan, where the eponymous Lafcadio Hearn once resided. Secondly, Professor of Medicine Dr. Sofikitis, of the University of Ioannina, has for many years been a medical ambassador, so to speak, between our two countries, facilitating the sharing of ideas and technology related to his field.

Throughout Ambassador Toda’s term, my family and I had the opportunity to spend time with him and his gracious wife Ritsuko on several occasions, including in the small village of Trapeza, in Greece, where my family vacations in summer. Dear Hiroshi, while I will certainly miss interacting with you on a professional level, I look forward to continuing to cultivate both our friendship and the friendship between Ellada and Nippon. Finally, Yasmine and I wish you and Ritsuko the best of luck and success in the next chapter of your pre-retirement or not years, and with all of your endeavors.