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Your Excellency, Mrs. Ilves,
It gives me great pleasure to be able to visit, at your kind invitation, the Republic of Estonia for the first time together with the Empress. I would like to express my deep appreciation to you for hosting this luncheon and for the cordial words of welcome you have just extended to us.
It was in 1989 that I acceded to the throne. In that same year, the “human chain” was formed in the three Baltic States, starting in Tallinn and stretching through the three states, and it caught the world's attention. In 1991, these three states became the first independent states from the former Soviet Union, and I recall the deep emotion that I felt when hearing of this event which seemed to indicate a great current of history. In the more than 15 years since that time, your country has steadily followed the path of democratization and economic and social development, as a member of Europe, and I would like to express my sincere respect for the wisdom and efforts of the people of Estonia.
This afternoon, we are looking forward to visiting the Old Town of Tallinn, which reflects Estonia's long history and rich traditions and has been designated as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. The streets of Tallinn are testimony to how the people of Estonia faced up to their difficulties with courage and pride while experiencing the ravages of the Second World War and the history of hardships thereafter.
Friendly relations already existed between Estonia and Japan during the period between the two World Wars. It is a source of great joy to see that these friendly relations are now developing once again between our two countries. I will be very happy if this visit of ours will deepen mutual understanding and further promote exchanges between the people of our two countries.
I would now like to propose a toast to the good health of His Excellency President Ilves and Mrs. Ilves, and to the happiness of the people of Estonia.
Your Excellency, Professor Freibergs,
It gives me great pleasure to be able to visit, at your kind invitation, the Republic of Latvia for the first time together with the Empress. I would like to express my deep appreciation to Your Excellency for hosting this luncheon and for the cordial words of welcome you have just extended to us.
If we look on the friendly relations between our two countries, Japan concluded the Treaty of Commerce and Navigation with Latvia in 1928, and a Japanese legation was established in Riga a year later. It was truly regrettable that this relationship had to be interrupted by the Second World War and the development of history thereafter.
Since then, a great number of Latvian people, including Your Excellency, have experienced immense hardships both at home and abroad. Your land became a battlefield in the Second World War, resulting in the loss of many lives, destruction of society, and immense physical damage. We should never forget the history, I believe, that the Latvian people faced up to these difficulties with courage and pride through the painful years that followed.
In 1991, the three Baltic States became the first independent states from the former Soviet Union, and I recall the deep emotion that I felt when receiving word of this event which seemed to indicate a great current of history. In the more than 15 years since that time, your country has steadily followed the path of democratization and economic and social development, as a member of Europe, and I would like to express my sincere respect for the wisdom and efforts of the people of Latvia.
It is a source of great joy to see that friendly relations between our two countries are now developing once again. I will be happy if our visit on this occasion will contribute to deepen mutual understanding and further promote exchanges between our two peoples.
I would now like to propose a toast to the good health of Her Excellency President Vike-Freiberga and Professor Freibergs, and to the happiness of the people of Latvia.
Your Excellency, Mrs. Adamkiene,
It gives me great pleasure to be able to visit the Republic of Lithuania, at your kind invitation, for the first time together with the Empress. I would like to express my deep appreciation to you for hosting this luncheon and for the cordial words of welcome you have just extended to us. In 2001, Your Excellency and Mrs. Adamkiene paid an official visit to Japan and at that time we met at the Imperial Palace. I am very happy indeed that we are meeting once again today, this time in Vilnius.
In 1992, the year after Lithuania's independence, Chairman Vytautas Landsbergis of the Supreme Council and Mrs. Landsbergis visited Japan on the occasion of the opening of an exhibition in Tokyo of the works of Mikalojus Konstantinas ciurlionis, the famous Lithuanian painter and composer. They were the first guests to Japan from the newly independent Baltic States, and I remember meeting them at the Imperial Palace and also later visiting the ciurlionis exhibition ourselves.
In 1991, the three Baltic States rejoined the international community as the first independent states from the former Soviet Union. It was an epoch-making event which seemed to indicate a great current of history. In the more than 15 years since that time, the three Baltic States, including Lithuania, have steadily followed the path of democratization and economic and social development, as a member of Europe. For that, I would like to express my sincere respect.
Standing here on your country's soil, we are once again reminded of the ravages of the Second World War and the history of hardships your people encountered since then. We are also deeply moved when we think of how the people faced up to their difficulties with courage and pride.
It is a source of great joy to see that friendly relations between our two countries, which began in the 1920s but had to be interrupted thereafter, are now developing once again. I will be happy if our visit on this occasion will contribute to deepen mutual understanding and further promote exchanges between our two peoples.
I would now like to propose a toast to the good health of His Excellency President Adamkus and Mrs. Adamkiene, and to the happiness of the people of Lithuania.
