Address from Consul General Takaoka: Scottish Samurai Dinner

2019/10/9
Mr Ronnie Watt, Lord Bruce, Ms Hayley Bloodworth, Mr Albert Thomson, Mr. Fumio Shiki, Mr. Hatsumi Kataoka, Mr. Kazuo Yamazaki, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to attend this first and maybe annual dinner of the Order of the Scottish Samurai in my capacity as Consul General of Japan in Edinburgh and as a proud Daishogun which was awarded to me as recently as May this year by Lord Bruce at Broomhall.

And it gives me so much encouragement to meet so many proud Samurais at one time in this magnificent Trinity Hall, the headquarters of the Seven Incorporated Trades of Aberdeen.

All of you present here today have contributed enormously in spreading Samurai spirit in Scotland, UK and all over the world, as well as building friendship with Japan. My sincere and deep appreciation goes to everybody in this hall and especially to Mr. Ronnie Watt for his generous and long-lasting dedication and commitment to Japan-Scotland friendship which ensured the continuation of this great tradition.

I believe that no other city is more appropriate to host this Samurai dinner than Aberdeen, which enjoys close and historical ties with Japan.

The story of an Aberdonian, Thomas Blake Glover is well known in Japan with his contribution to the modernisation of Japan by introducing shipbuilding and beer brewing.

That was in the 19 century. And this summer 14 Junior High School students from Nagasaki were warmly welcomed by kind host families in this city. As recent as last week, Mr. Hisamoto, Mayor of Kobe visited Aberdeen to join the World Energy Cities Partnership whose president is Lord Provost Barney Crockett.

Other important names involved in our bilateral exchanges include, in the alphabetical order,  Aberdeen Standard, Aberdeen University, the Earl of Elgin, Global Energy Group, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Corporation, Nippon Gases, Robert Gordon University, Sumitomo Corporation and Yokogawa

And I believe that no other year brings more joy to us to participate in the Samurai dinner than this year when the new Era of Reiwa started in Japan with the enthronement of His Majesty the Emperor.

Let me conclude by expressing once again my deep appreciation and my best wishes for the further success of these awards in raising the Samurai spirit in Scotland and enhancing friendship between Japan and Aberdeen and Scotland and the United Kingdom in this Era of Queen Elizabeth and in the new Era of Reiwa in Japan.
 
Thank you.