Mera naam Hiroshi Suzuki hai (My name is Hiroshi Suzuki): New Japan envoy stuns all by starting his maiden speech in Hindi

ACN EXCLUSIVE

NEW DELHI: Deviyon aur sajjano, aapka yaha padharne par bahut bahut dhanyewaad. Mera naam Hiroshi Suzuki hai. Is mahine ki 9 tarikh Ko maine Bharat mein Japan ke rajdoot ka pad sambhala hai. Main pradhan mantri Shinzo Abe ji ke sath Delhi ,Varanasi, aur Ahmedabad ki yatra kar chuka hun.  Aaj se lagbhag 40 varshon pahle meri dharapatni ne 10 dinon ke liye Delhi. Agra, Khujrao aur Varanasi ki yatra ki thi,” said the new Japan Ambassador to India Hiroshi Suzuki in his first address on Thursday evening during a reception at the Embassy of Japan, New Delhi in the presence of Indian external Affairs minister S Jaishankar and his Japanese origin wife Kyoko.

(Ladies and Gentlemen! Thank you very much for coming here today. My name is Hrioshi Suzuki. I assumed the responsibility of the Ambassador of Japan on the 9^th of this month. I along with the former (Japan) Prime Minister Shinjo Abe had travelled to Delhi, Varanasi and Ahmadabad. About 40 year ago, my wife  had travelled to Delhi, Agra, Khujaro, and Varanasi for 10 days).

In a clear manifestation of the special affection the new Japan Ambassador Hiroshi Suzuki carries towards India, and a close aide of Japan’s former PM late Shinjo Abe – the greatest friend of India in the history of India-Japan relationship, the new Ambassador vowed to take the legacy forward to strengthen bilateral relations during his tenure in India.

During his 10-minute speech, Ambassador dedicated initial one paragraph in Hindi language.

While welcoming the Indian external affairs minister Jaishankar and his wife, the Ambassador said, “Last time, I met His Excellency Jaishankar when we were sitting side by side right behind Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Kishida. So nice to see you again.”

“I was PM Abe’s secretary foreign affairs from 2012 and further on….. During this time, prime minister Modi had 15 bilateral summits with PM Abe, and I had the privilege of receiving him on all those meetings. I saw first hand how those top leaders respected each other and joined hands together. They really propelled India’s special partnership to different high level. That’s really something I have the privilege to have watched myself,” said the Ambassador Suzuki.

Ambassador further narrated an exemplary incident of the year 2018 of close friendship between the PMs of the two countries when PM Modi had visited Japan.

“A have witnessed very special friendship between PM Modi and PM Abe. Actually PM Modi was the only world leader who was invited to PM Abe’s cottage near Mount Fuji. Some countries after getting to know asked very quietly if their leaders also could be invited to Abe’s cottage. But PM Abe always said no saying that that place was specially reserved for PM Modi,” he disclosed.

Related article: WELCOME: New Japan Ambassador Hiroshi SUZUKI, a close aide of former PM Shinzo ABE arrives in India

Ambassador also assured India of supporting the country for making the G20 summit a success next year.

“Next year, India will assume G20 presidency and Dr. Jaishakar will have a huge responsibility as the entire world will look towards India for its leadership for world’s economic prosperity and development. As a friend of India, I am determined to do my best and Japan is determined to do all its best to be a help to India so that India’s G20 presidency will be  a great success.”

Ambassador said that he was very honoured that he was given this post as a Japan ambassador to work on the ground to further enhance India-Japan special partnership. He said, “Also next marks the special years of millets, which India proposed and more than 70 countries supported it and UN assembly decided to mark it as International Year of millets.”

In his address, India’s external affairs minister Jaishankar, was all praise for Japan for celebrating the year 2022 as the 70^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. He said that Japan very wisely addressed the matter through mind, body and stomach.

The union minister lauded Japan for organising the 9-day long event Ideathon – Hack the Innovative Future in September when students from India and Japan together traveled 900 km from New Delhi to Varanasi.

“Next month Yabusame an event of Japanese archery on the horseback was going to be organized in New Delhi. And in today’s event, the millet message is effectively  propagated through the medium of sushi,” he said adding that the Japanese version of his book ‘The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World’ was going to be published on Friday.