Good-bye, Brussels!! (No.62)
At last, this afternoon, my wife and I will return to Japan via Paris. It was a short service in Belgium of less than two years, but I am truly glad I got to spend many fulfilling days. I would like to thank all of the Japanese expatriates, my Belgian friends and acquaintances, as well as my diplomatic colleagues from the bottom of my heart. I would also like to give my thanks to the many readers of these Chat of the Ambassador, who have taken a look at my clumsily-written blog each time. Upon returning to Tokyo, I will briefly remain at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but I will retire thereafter. It is with some sadness that I say goodbye to 41 and-a-half years of diplomatic life, but at the same time I am contented by the fact that I can say “I did everything I could”. My life as a Japanese diplomat, which started 38 years ago in Belgium, after receiving a two-year language training in France, ends today in Belgium. The days spent during my service twice in Paris, and my services in Egypt, the USA and Vietnam are all unforgettable memories. However, even in such a career the total of those four years in Belgium was something special. Next time I would like to come back again as a tourist to Belgium and I hope that day comes as soon as possible. “Goodbye, Brussels”. Those will probably be the words I will cry out in the car carrying me to Paris. Goodbye, everyone.
＜NATO Summit and Me＞
 The previous week I attended the NATO summit, which was held in the suburbs of Newport in the southwest of the UK, as the Japanese head of delegation. This NATO summit is held once every two years. Last time it was held in Chicago in the USA. Of course, Japan is not a member country of NATO and therefore cannot participate in all of the meeting discussions. However, Japan, as a “partner country”, has been indirectly cooperating with NATO by offering financial aid to the police force payroll and training in Afghanistan, where NATO expanded major military operations. Furthermore, since Japan decided to participate in the newly initiated activities to improve the interoperability between armed forces of NATO and Partner countries, I got to join the sessions discussing these topics. Naturally it would be preferable (even if it would be impossible for Prime Minister Abe) that the Minister of Foreign Affairs or the Minister of Defence attends, but unfortunately a government reshuffle took place in Japan in those days. As on political level no-one could attend, I attended the summit instead as the ‘Representative of the Government of Japan to NATO’.
The session Japan attended on Afghanistan discussed the outlines for supportive actions and literacy education for the Afghanistan National Security Force, referred to as “resolute support”, in order to take over at the end of this year when the military operations by NATO come to an end. Japan expressed its determination to maintain the continued support of the police force. However, the main focus of the NATO summit was centred on issues regarding the situation in Ukraine and the relations with Russia, as well as on the Sunni Extremist Group “Islamic State” at the Iraqi-Syrian border. In the midst of these turbulent situations around the world, NATO itself is facing new challenges. A greater defence effort (and the enhancement of related budgets) is asked of each individual member state. Even Japan, which is an advocate of pro-active pacifism, will need to cooperate more closely with NATO in order to contribute to peace and stability in the world.
＜Farewell Reception＞
  At the end of last month, I held a farewell reception for my leaving of office at the Ambassador's residence. About 150 people attended, amongst whom very close Belgian friends and some colleagues of the diplomatic corps. I thanked them for their friendship during my service. Unfortunately it was going to rain that evening, which was an inconvenience to the guests. I greeted each guest at the receiving line, but since a long line had formed I regrettably could not take the time to converse leisurely with everyone. Many told me they hoped to meet me again in Belgium someday. As some of Belgian friends are making plans to visit Japan in the near future, we also promised to meet again in Tokyo.  I have held numerous receptions at the residence in my almost two-year service, but such a farewell reception is something completely different. It is a sad feeling knowing that I won’t get to meet some people again. Such is the fate of a diplomat having to traverse the world, but the comforting fact remains that when you visit those places of the past, you can meet up with friends again. I have made exceptionally many friends in Belgium and so I have a feeling that the “hope” to meet one another again will soon be fulfilled.
＜Nostalgia Trip to Montpellier＞
 At the end of last month, I decided to take a trip to Montpellier in the south of France (three nights and four days), the city I definitely wanted to visit again before leaving Belgium. When I was in my mid-twenties I studied at a university in Montpellier for two years as a trainee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since then, for nearly 40 years, I did not revisit this town again. Recently, by coincidence, I found out there are direct flights to Montpellier from Brussels and suddenly I got the idea to visit “the land of memories of my youth”. On the outbound flight one by one those past memories came back to life and I landed at Montpellier Airport with an abundance of nostalgic feelings. However, my anticipations were met with great disappointment. The sight of the city has changed tremendously and was radically different from the “old Montpellier” of my memories. yomoyama_062_montpellier2 Modernisation brought significant changes and now trams even roamed around the city centre landscape, seemingly mocking my memories. I could not pin anything from my memories. Forty years was too long a period. The Faculty of Arts where I studied (Paul Valéry University) lies in the northern suburbs of Montpellier, but back then there were hardly any buildings around. It was a nice campus with several campus buildings next to each other on empty plots. Nowadays, densely built apartments and luxury housing enclose the university. Many of the campus buildings have been replaced by new buildings as well. My school from then appeared to have completely vanished. Still, I visited the walled cities of Carcassonne and Aigues-Mortes, where I used to go for a drive together with my French friends during my study abroad. Also, when I gazed at the Mediterranean Sea at the beach resort of La Grande-Motte where I had swum in the sea, luckily some memories came back to me. What crossed my mind on the return flight from Montpellier was that before lamenting how greatly Montpellier had changed, the simple fact is that I should have first realised that the mid-twenties Japanese student at the time has changed into an old man in his mid-sixties. I cannot help but think that the flow of time is really cruel.
＜Audience with his Majesty King Philippe＞
Last week, I had an audience with King Philippe at the Palace in Brussels to announce my departure. Two years ago at my arrival I presented my credentials to King Albert II, so I felt the changing of times. Looking back on the Belgium-Japan relations, I cannot help but think of the big role that the imperial and royal households of both countries have played in the development of these friendly relations. In particular, King Philippe visited Japan from before he became crown prince in 1993. He led four economic missions to Japan during his period as crown prince and has made, as far as I know, nine official and unofficial visits to Japan. During my service as Ambassador to Belgium, there were no frequent interactions – only Princess Astrid visited Japan last year in spring, but it is expected that in view of the 150th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Belgium in 2016 a new mutual visit will be realized.
By the way, as for Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo, I had the chance to meet and to say goodbye to him at Newport, UK on the occasion of the NATO Summit.
＜My Thoughts on the Celebration of the 150th Anniversary＞
The preparations for the 150th anniversary events have recently begun. The diplomatic relations between Japan and Belgium that started in 1866 have steadily grown up till now, with a brief interruption during the Second World War. One should particularly remember that in the latter half of the 19th century Japan, which went through the Meiji Restoration, received a lot of support from Belgium, one of the most powerful countries at the time, to establish a new national polity and advance the development of the economy. Furthermore, at the beginning of the 20th century, Japan extended deep sympathy to Belgium, which was in dire straits due to the First World War, and lent much support. In return in 1923, at the time of the Great Kanto Earthquake in Tokyo, Belgium raised large amounts of money to aid the victims. After the Second World War, Belgium, the base of European unification, attracted the interest of Japan’s economic world: from the 60s and 70s onwards many Japanese companies started investing in Belgium. I would like to stage by all means grand events in 2016 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of diplomatic relations between both countries and I have begun the preparations, but unfortunately I have to leave Belgium in the middle of this. I thus have no choice but to leave the entire upcoming organisation in the hands of my successor and everyone involved. I am already looking forward to come back to Belgium as a tourist in 2016.
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