IRELAND:The 50th anniversary of the opening of diplomatic relations between Ireland and Japan was "an important milestone", Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern said in Dublin last night.
Recalling that formal relations were established in 1957 and resident embassies opened in Dublin in 1964 and Tokyo in 1973, Mr Ahern pointed out that Japan was "Ireland's strategic partner in Asia".
"We share common values of democracy, human rights and the market economy system and these values provide a firm foundation for the increasingly-close relationship that has developed between our two countries."
Japan was a cornerstone of the Government's Asia Strategy, first launched in 1999, which seeks to strengthen Ireland's political, trade and investment ties with Asian countries. Last month Mr Ahern issued a joint declaration with Japanese foreign minister Taro Aso setting out a framework for a programme of commemorative events in both countries.
"In the political arena we will hold political and economic consultations in Tokyo and in Dublin. We have pledged to work closely together at the United Nations and on international issues."
He continued: "We both desire to see a nuclear-free world - Japan from its unique experience as the world's only victim of an atomic attack and Ireland as the initiator and the first signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. We also hold a strong belief in the responsibility that successful economies have to assist our fellow men and women in developing countries."
Also addressing the Ireland Japan Association, Ambassador Keiichi Hayashi conveyed a message from Mr Aso, who said: "I am determined to exert my utmost to deepen our bilateral relations even further on all levels and in all fields."