Love Letter from Brussels

List

Taking Office in Belgium (No.1)

My name is Hajime HAYASHI and I was appointed as the new Ambassador of Japan to the Kingdom of Belgium. Since a while, the Embassy of Japan’s homepage carries Ambassadors’ own messages as a form of their personal columns. Following the example of my predecessors, I will also be writing a column myself from time to time, by the name of “Greetings from Belgium: A Word from the Japanese Ambassador”, centered on my experiences and thoughts while residing in Belgium. Among my predecessors there are some very prolific writers, but I may perhaps not be able to keep up with their pace, and I might touch upon topics already chosen by them in the past. However, if I could catch the attention of people who have an interest in topics such as Belgium, Japanese-Belgian relations, or the activities of the Japanese Ambassador in Belgium, I would be very glad.

For the first column, I would like to write about the time when I arrived in Belgium and took office, until the moment I presented my credentials.

In the morning of April 27, I left behind the hurried mood at Narita airport, which was bustling with activities due to the ‘golden week’, a sequence of national holidays in Japan, that was near at hand. I left for Belgium taking ANA’s direct flight to Brussels, put into operation between Narita and Brussels in October 2015.

It was perhaps until around the beginning of the 2000s that the Belgian airline company Sabena had a direct flight operating between Japan and Belgium, but, after it was terminated, there were no more direct flights available. Personally, I have come to Brussels many times for my work, but I remember always having to change planes at Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Copenhagen or Helsinki. In that sense, it is very practical indeed to have this direct flight between our two countries.

But that is not all. I think I share with people who are like me residing abroad for work or other reason, that it is very reassuring to be able to return directly to one’s home country in case of an emergency, just by boarding a direct flight. Whether it is a work-related emergency, an accident or illness concerning yourself or your family you live with, or the family you left behind in your native country. It is best if those things do not occur, but it is on the other hand quite natural that they sometimes do. Personally, I am leaving behind my elderly mother in Japan. In that sense, I came here very well knowing that there would be a direct flight between the home country and my new post, which is quite a relief.

An Ambassador cannot immediately start working as such after arriving at the country of duty. Work starts from the moment the country of duty (also called the receiving state) officially receives you as Ambassador. This corresponds with an official ceremony during which an Ambassador hands his credentials, which he brought from his own country (called the sending state), to a representative of the receiving state.

However, it cannot be said that nothing can be done until the ceremony. It depends on the country, but in Belgium it is permitted to work to a limited degree after handing a duplicate of the credentials to the Chief of Protocol of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Following the general principles but at the same time being flexible seems to be the Belgian way. I had the good fortune that I could meet with Ms. Gustin, Chief of Protocol of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in the morning of April 28, the day after my arrival, which was much sooner than expected.

Before long it was decided that the presenting of credentials to His Majesty King Philippe would take place in the afternoon of May 16. I heard that, depending on Ambassadors, even after having taken office one might need to wait for several months for the ceremony to present one’s credentials. This was again a stroke of good luck for me.

I was also favored with fine weather on May 16. The weather in Brussels is (in)famous for its many rainy days and the ease with which it changes, even during a single day. However, not only was the middle of May, the most beautiful period of the year in general, I was also particularly blessed with a pleasant, sunny day.

On the day itself, an envoy from the Royal Palace came to visit me at my residence, and under the protection of an escort of white police motorbikes, we made our way to the front of the Belgian Parliament, located on the other side of the park that lies in front of the Royal Palace. From there, we made half a turn around the park and proceeded towards the Royal Palace under the escort of the cavalry corps. In Japan, foreign Ambassadors presenting their credentials to His Majesty the Emperor proceed from Tokyo Station’s Marunouchi central exit to the Imperial Palace by carriage, while having a view of the people alongside the road taking pictures. The vehicle differs, but here in Belgium as well, with tourists or citizens who have come to the park during lunchtime taking lots of pictures of the sight, the scene might be seen as something which deserves attention of public. By the way, from inside the car, I counted as many as 42 mounted soldiers on the horse.

At the Royal Palace, together with three diplomats from the Embassy, His Majesty King Philippe received me and I handed him the credentials. After that, I was invited by His Majesty to move to a separate room, where we had the opportunity to talk in private. Last year, I was one of the officers responsible for the State Visit to Japan of Their Majesties the King and Queen, and in that function we had met before. However, it was the first time for me to talk with His Majesty the King in person. I transmitted to him a message from His Majesty the Emperor.

This is how I officially got started with my work as Ambassador of Japan to the Kingdom of Belgium. I will be making courtesy visits to Belgian people in many fields, to Japanese residents in Belgium, to the colleagues of NATO and to the diplomatic corps in Belgium. Furthermore, I have started with a round of visits, not only in Brussels but also in various regions in Belgium. I am looking forward to write more about my thoughts and experiences from my work and meetings with people in and after the next column.

List