“State of the Embassy Address”, 18 May 2011

“State of the Embassy Address”
 

It is a pleasure for me, as last year, welcome you for some food and drink as well as networking and relaxation after your Annual General Meeting in the Arctic Hall. And, as last year, I appreciate the opportunity to say a few words, to you a “State of the Embassy Address” as it were, to highlight some key events and activities in the year that has passed and peep a little into the year ahead, especially where we again will interact to mutual benefit.

Let me first congratulate Christian Moen on being elected new President of the Norwegian Chamber of Commerce in Japan. The Embassy is looking forward to working with him and the new Board in the year to come as fellow players on “Team Norway” in Japan.

Having congratulated Christian, let me also express our appreciation of the work that outgoing President Trond Vårlid has done over the past eight years. A period during which the NCCJ, under his leadership, grew from an informal business forum to a fully-fledged Chamber of Commerce. I am sure that Christian will carry forward the close dialogue that the Embassy has had with Trond over the years. The NCCJ is an important Team Norway partner for us in our job to promote bilateral relations between Norway and Japan. We are happy that you have set an ambitious agenda for yourselves again this year. And we are happy to have Michal Berg, your Executive Director, working out of Innovation Norway’s offices her in the Embassy premises.

My original intention this evening was to highlight the success of the visit of our Prime Minister 15 -18 March. A visit we had worked so hard to prepare and expected so much of in terms of strengthening the relations between Norway and Japan. His visit was to have a business focus. And the business delegation to accompany him, headed by Innovation Chair chief Gunn Ovesen, was indeed impressive. The largest business delegation to accompany him as Prime Minister on an official visit abroad. Indeed, the NCCJ and member companies were also involved.

Natural catastrophe strikes
But that was not to be. Four days before the Prime Minister’s planned arrival, disaster struck Japan. A mega-catastrophe in scope and destruction unlike any before – earthquake, tsunami nuclear reactor explosion and radio-active leakage and further apprehension. Japan’s 3/11 - a devastating game-changer.

Our happy vision of a Tokyo with Norwegian flags all over the city. A high-profiled Norway-Japan Business Forum and official dinner for 900 people – Japanese political leaders and ministry officials, culture and academia, assembled with business leaders, Japanese and Norwegian, in our focus fields of co-operation - not least fisheries, shipping, energy and environment, science and technology. Consolidating established ties and co-operation and opening doors for new exciting business ventures. And all of these people singing Happy Birthday to our Prime Minister, led by the President of the House of Councillors of the Diet on 16 March at our official dinner. With Norwegian TV and press present. A memorable experience for all of us, indeed.     

The visit had to be postponed under the tragic circumstances to a time better suited in the near future, when it will be implemented with renewed purpose. Prime Minister Stoltenberg  immediately sent his condolences to Prime Minister Kan asking him convey his sympathy to those bereaved and offering to support Japan in any way we could. Our King and President of Parliament likewise sent messages of sympathy to the Emperor and Presidents of the Diet.
 
In an article in Japan Times today, I have highlighted some Norwegian responses to the natural catastrophe. We Norwegians here in Tokyo and elsewhere in Japan have our own special feelings and empathy, living here, having so many friends here. Some people stayed, some left Tokyo temporarily and have returned, some have left for good. We are happy that no Norwegians suffered injury or loss. But we are mindful of all the Japanese who have. The Embassy held a number of information meetings and we appreciated very much the close contact that we had with Trond on behalf of the NCCJ and other members of our business community here, not least as concerns Norwegian official travel advice, which was updated with changing circumstances and information and which served as guidance for people-to-people and business relations. Your Executive Director Michal Berg was integrated in our emergency team as an invaluable asset also considering his fluency in Japanese. 

When we Norwegians in Tokyo gathered to celebrate our National Day last Sunday two days in advance. We enjoyed food produced in Tohoku in addition to the waffles, hot-dogs and ice-cream and other traditional items. It was good to see so many Norwegians returning to normal lives and we were mindful of the great natural disaster that so mercilessly had struck Japan and her people.  

Political level visits
I mentioned in my remarks to you last year that several political level visits from Norway were in the pipeline.

First to come was the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bjørn Grydeland in April, coinciding with a seminar we arranged on corporate social responsibility and work-life balance as good business here in the Embassy in co-operation with the Cabinet office here.

Our very influential Committee for Foreign Affairs and Defence of Parliament, which includes very senior MPs, came in September.

Followed by Minister of Environment and International Development Erik Solheim in October. In addition to a bilateral programme, which included a meeting with NCCJ members, he attended important international conferences in Nagoya, the 15th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and a Meeting of Ministers on Climate Change and Forests that was a follow-up to the Summit convened by Prime Minister Stoltenberg earlier in the year. 

Minister for Higher Education and Research Tora Aasland visited Japan in February, and laid much science and technology ground for the planned visit of our Prime Minister.

After the summer, we have the Storting Committee on Health and Welfare coming second half of September. We are also planning for visits of our Minister for Fisheries and Coastal Affairs, Minister of Trade and Industry and, of course, for the Prime Minister in due course.

Cultural exchange
In the field of culture, Team Norway made the launching of the film “Norwegian Wood” based on the world famous novel of Murakami, a book that has nothing to do with Norway, into an event that profiled Norway perhaps even more than it profiled Murakami himself. And that following an enormously successful Murakami Festival in Norway last summer, highlighted by Murakami being there himself and spending several weeks in Oslo.

We also had the first International Ibsen Festival here in Tokyo last year with plays performed by a troop from our National Theatre and troops from theatres in Vietnam and Germany. In addition, Ibsen plays were performed Japanese theatres as well.

We can look ahead to the Tokyo Jazz festival with Norwegian musicians. Mari Boine is coming to Hokkaido. Leif Ove Andsnes, very popular here, is also coming.We will have CULTEX, a recurring Norwegian-Japanes Textile Exhibition and many other events coming up.

Polar affairs
The Arctic and polar affairs are an area receiving increasing attention in our bilateral relations. Climate change and melting of Arctic ice are the catch words. For the future opening of the Northern Sea Route that substantially shortens the distance between Norway and Japan. For access to vast petroleum and other mineral resources in the area. Norway is centre stage. Also important Japanese interests are involved. Japan, along with China and EU Commission want permanent observer status in the Arctic Council. Norway is supportive. Some other Arctic Council members are not. 

Last year, the Embassy hosted a Norway-Japan Polar Seminar in co-operation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan marking the end of the International Polar Year, where Norway was lead nation, but where also Japan was active. Some of our foremost polar experts came from Norway for that seminar. This year, is our official Amundsen/Nansen year. We will have an event later this year, perhaps in co-operation with the Japanese Polar Research Institute.

In November, we are organizing an event with UNHCR. The UN Commissioner is coming here in November to celebrate the UN Convention on Refugees and that will be done in tribute also to Fridtjov Nansen. He was the very first Commissioner for Refugees – under the League of Nations. Thorvald Stoltenberg, our former Foreign Minister and he also a former UN High Commissioner for Refugees will come to Tokyo join the event.  

Nordic co-operation
This year, we will participate actively in two Nordic manifestations, “Nordic Food” planned for October and “Nordic Green” for November. These will of course also involve NCCJ and member companies.
Seafood

Seafood continues as an important pillar in our relations with Japan and has a prominent place on our buffet table for you to enjoy again in a few minutes.  Last year, our exports of mackerel increased by 40%. Do you know that half of all the mackerel caught by Norway fishermen ends up in Japanese stomachs, that includes the stomachs of NCCJ members.

This year, we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the successful arrival of shishamo from Norway.
    
Last year, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the arrival of the first fresh and air-freighted salmon to Japan. Our further focus was on “anti-aging” and “beauty” benefits of salmon. Please do not take offense by all the salmon that we will serve you after my speech. The opinion of the Embassy is, of course, that all NCCJ members, are young and beautiful. Our celebration focused on the anti-aging and beauty benefits. This time not by profiling Hans Petter Næs, myself and other Embassy staff. We thought the argument would be more convincing by engaging Miss Universe Japan for both 2009 and 2010. Both had been to Norway a few weeks before and were happy to profile Norway and her salmon. A pleasure for us working with them in promoting Norwegian interests, as you well can imagine.

And a pleasure also working with Hans Petter, who will be leaving his position in Tokyo this summer. Hans Petter, you have really done an excellent job here and we will all miss you. Best wishes in your new job and we hope it brings you back to Tokyo every once in a while.

Team Norway here to help
Fisheries, seafood safety and other marine activities as well as maritime industry stand out as an important pillar of Norwegian-Japanese co-operation. These areas, where Norwegian experience and know-how expertise is strong, will be important also in the coordinated reconstruction efforts of Japanese authorities in the North East. Our Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs is looking very much forward to visiting Japan soon, not just to promote our fisheries co-operation, but also very much mindful of the challenges facing Japan in reconstructing devastated coastal areas. With coastal communities ourselves, we understand and deal with their unique challenges and have experience to share.

We are now looking into what we can do to help Japan in their formidable reconstruction challenges in the years ahead following the earthquake and tsunami. We will be looking for a coordinated “Team Norway” effort, especially in our focus areas of co-operation – seafood and fisheries as well as energy and environment. These are important areas for Japan, where Norway has special competence and international recognition. And where we have a proven record of activity and goodwill here in Japan. We want to develop a “Team Norway” package of government-to-government and people-to-people measures. We also want a forward-looking and sustainable partnership with companies. We want the NCCJ as a chamber and company members on an individual basis to be actively involved. We are developing plans and will get back to you for further discussion.

Well, dear members of the Norwegian Chamber of Commerce and fellow Team Norway colleagues. There is much more to say. Let me stop for now and thank you for your patience and attention. The doors to the dining room will now be opened. Please enjoy the buffet. And remember salmon is good for beauty and anti-aging.