Offisielt besøk til Japan: Mottakelse

Your Imperial Highness,
Excellences,
Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great honour to attend this reception together with Her Imperial Highness on the beautiful grounds of the Meiji Kinenkan. Our families share close and longstanding ties, and I have fond memories of my last visit to Japan on the occasion of His Majesty Emperor Nahurito ascension to the throne.

Last year Japan and Norway celebrated diplomatic relations for 120 years – and have collaborated inthe maritime sector for even longer. I greatly value my visits to Japan, and the strong bondsbetween our two countries. I want to thank our Japanese friends for the warm welcome to your country, and forgathering here with us tonight.

I think the surroundings we are gathered in here tonight help explain why people all over the world are fascinated by Japan:
The elegance and harmony, design, architecture, gardening, cuisine, ritual and ceremony – combined with the remarkable level in technology and innovation – makes Japan a global leader within a wide range of areas.

Ladies and gentlemen,
Norwegians have a deep appreciation for Japan.
We admire your ancient culture and your cutting edge technology in equal measure. We look to Japan for age old wisdom, and for new trends. What we cherish the most in our everyday lives often originate from Japan: Everything from our cars, our electronics, our food and our running shoes.

My first Hi-Fi stereo was an Onkyo. As a child, our son Magnus dragged us out to search for Pokémon. He is now 20, so it’s a while ago. As a family, we often choose to have sushi when we gather for a nice evening together.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I visited a library inOslo where a great selection of manga was on display. And last spring, my wife TheCrown Princess took part in a literary conversation with oneof her favourite authors – Haruki Murakami – at Norway’s leading literary festival at Lillehammer.

Japanese culture and technology are very present in our Norwegian everyday life.

Princess Tsuguko,
Ladies and gentlemen,
This morning, I visited Toyosu fish market with all its fascinating buzz and busyness. The fish market is actually right at the heart of our bilateral relations between our two countries. During my visit, we will also be exploring more opportunities to strengthen our partnership– beyond fish and the maritime sector.

As strategic partners and likeminded nations we enjoy strong relations and close collaboration between our governments and industries, - within research and cultural communities. We also have a growing collaboration in areas such as AI, defence industry and health technology. Our dynamic partnership continues to create opportunities for businesses both in Japan and Norway.

I would like to thank the organisers of this event for bringing us together here this evening. I hope that this reception will provide an opportunity for meaningful exchanges and for further deepening of the strong and enduring ties between Japan and Norway.