Press Releases
Reception Co-hosted by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Governor of Gunma Prefecture
February 19, 2025
On February 19, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Governor of Gunma Prefecture co-hosted a reception “The Hidden Gems of Gunma Prefecture” at the Iikura House, attended by approximately 180 people, including diplomatic corps to Japan, foreign chambers of commerce stationed in Japan, business representatives and Diet Members from Gunma Prefecture. The overview of the reception is as follows.
- The reception is a program co-hosted by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and a head of local government to promote local diverse charms both domestically and internationally by inviting diplomatic corps in Japan and other guests to the Iikura House. This is the 26th one.
- At the beginning of the reception, Mr. FUJII Hisayuki, State Minister for Foreign Affairs, on behalf of Foreign Minister IWAYA, who was on an overseas business trip, and Governor YAMAMOTO Ichita of Gunma Prefecture gave their opening remarks, and then, Mr. SUTO Kazuomi, Chairman of the Gunma Prefectural Assembly, made a toast.
In his speech, Mr. FUJII stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is playing an active role in the government’s overall efforts for activating “Regional Revitalization 2.0”, one of the top priorities of the Cabinet. Referring to the recent inscription of “Traditional knowledge and skills of sake-making with koji mold in Japan” on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in last December, he stated that MOFA would make every effort to further promote the charms of Japanese alcoholic beverages including local sake to the world.
Further, Mr. FUJII introduced the charms of Gunma Prefecture such as Onsen (hot springs), food culture, traditional crafts, and asked for continued cooperation and support for their promotion to the world. - The reception featured booths introducing forestry and fishery products, local sake, traditional crafts, tourism including onsen of Gunma Prefecture, among others, as well as the dance performance by High School Dance Club in Gunma on the stage to promote diverse charms of Gunma Prefecture.