Press Releases
Reception for the Japanese-German Forum Hosted by Foreign Minister Iwaya
On October 29, a reception for the Japanese-German Forum, hosted by Mr. IWAYA Takeshi, Minister for Foreign Affairs, was held at the Iikura Guest House of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The reception was attended by approximately 65 representatives from Japanese and German politics, business, and academia, among others, including Mr. Christian Wulff, former Federal President of Germany, who will participate in the 32nd Japanese-German Forum, which will be held on October 30 and 31 in Tokyo.
- In his opening remarks, Minister Iwaya expressed his appreciation for the role played by the future-oriented discussions of the Japanese-German Forum in the diplomatic relations between Japan and Germany, which have strengthened their cooperation in the face of severe challenges to international order in recent years.
- Furthermore, Minister Iwaya expressed his gratitude for the contributions made to date by Chairman Matthias Nass, who will resign from his position at the end of this year’s Forum, as well as his hope that fruitful discussions will be held at the Forum, which will take place from the following day.
- Following this, Chairman Nass made remarks on behalf of the participants, and expressed his gratitude to Minister Iwaya for hosting the reception and for the warm words regarding his contributions to date.
- The participants from Japan and Germany deepened their friendship, and the reception served to build momentum for the holding of the Forum from the following day.
The Japanese-German Forum was created in 1993, based on the agreement of (then) Japanese Prime Minister MIYAZAWA Kiichi and (then) German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, for the purpose of strengthening Japan-Germany relations and promoting mutual understanding, as a group of eminent persons consisting of experts in various fields from each country who engage in open debate. A joint meeting of the Forum, attended by high-level participants from politics, business, academia, and other fields from Japan and Germany, is convened annually, with the venue alternating between Japan and Germany, and a statement from the meeting is submitted to the Japanese Prime Minister and the German Chancellor.