Luncheon with the European Parliament Delegation for Relations with Japan Hosted by State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Yutaka Banno

May 18, 2011
Japanese

On Wednesday, May 18, Mr. Yutaka Banno, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Japan, hosted a luncheon for the European Parliament Delegation for Relations with Japan (comprising Head of the Delegation Mr. Johannes Cornelis van Baalen and eight other members), who were on a visit to Japan to attend the 32nd Japan-EU Interparliamentary Meeting (*1). The participants exchanged views on a wide-range of topics including EU assistance in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake and Japan's efforts to overcome the disaster, as well as Japan-EU relations and regional issues. The luncheon was also attended by State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Chiaki Takahashi, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Makiko Kikuta, and Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Hisashi Tokunaga.
Dishes for the luncheon were prepared using ingredients produced in the affected areas (*2) as a means of supporting the economic recovery of the areas and emphasizing the safety of Japan's food products to the European delegation.

*1. This Meeting has been held annually since 1978 between members of Japan's National Diet and the European Parliament. It takes place alternately in Tokyo and one of the cities in the EU. The participants discuss various issues such as politics, security, economy, trade and international cooperation.

*2. Ingredients from areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake were as follows
Ibaraki Prefecture: endive (a kind of chicory), lettuce, tomato, shiitake mushroom
Iwate Prefecture: Japanese beef
Saitama Prefecture: okra, egg
Fukushima Prefecture: white asparagus, rice

(*This is a provisional translation. The above date denotes the date of the issue of the original press release in Japanese.)

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