【天皇陛下のおことば】ウィレム・アレキサンダー国王陛下及びマキシマ王妃陛下主催晩餐会

[00:00:00]Your Majesties King William Alexander and Queen Maxima, your Royal Highness Princess Brix Huden Font, it is my enormous pleasure to be visiting your country together with Empress Masako at your kind invitation as a state guest and to have the delight of meeting your majesties in person once Again, I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to your majesties for graciously hosting this heart this beautiful state banquet and for the codial words of welcome extended to us by his majesty the king.

[00:00:49]I would also like to express my deepest gratitude to your majesties as well as to the Dutch people for the tremendous efforts you have made in preparation for our visit.

[00:01:05]My first visit to your country was in 1984.

[00:01:09]During the time I spent studying in the UK, although it was a private visit, I have fond memories of being kindly received at the airport by his majesty King William Alexander, who was a teen teenaged crown prince at the time and of sailing on Queen Patrick's private yacht on Lake Asel in the company of your royal highness princess who was her majesty the queen at that time as well as the late prince klouse his majesty king William Alexander and prince Constantine since then I have had the honor of being invited to the beautiful wedding of your majesties in 2002 and to the magnificent invest in 2013.

[00:02:13]It was a great pleasure for the Empress and me to be able to offer our congratulations in person.

[00:02:22]Furthermore, in 2006, at the generous invitation of her majesty Queen Beatatrix, I together with my wife Masako and our daughter Aiko were very fortunate to enjoy tremendously our summer holidays at headero.

[00:02:42]We received such thoughtful cons considerations from your royal highness princess and your majesties the king and the queen as well as the people of the Netherlands during our stay.

[00:02:58]The warm hospitality and the care we received there made the relaxing and enjoyable stay in the beautiful setting of Hedro even more special. and the unforgettable memories of our happiest day remain in the special place in our hearts to this day.

[00:03:21]We would like to express our sincere gratitude to once again for your kindness on that occasion.

[00:03:30]Masako and I were also truly delighted and grateful to be able to spend a few days at the beloved header again this time at the kind invitation of your majesties the king and the queen.

[00:03:49]There was a happy surprise for us upon arrival to head out, namely to be greeted again by koi cups that my parents had donated and your highness princess beatatric together with his majesty the king had released in the moat in 1980 and also by the blackman that our daughter Aiko was feeding at almost every day during our stay 20 years ago.

[00:04:24]We were happy to see them all joyfully eat the bread we were offering this time. Once again, when we told our daughter Aiko in Tokyo about her old black swan friend and the koi cups as well as about seeing some of the same staff members that had taken care of us at head outlaw the last time, I was quite surprised and says she's very touched the relations between our two countries began when the Dutch vessel leave the draft drifted ashore in Japan in 1600.

[00:05:11]After voyage fought with difficulties even during the period when Japan adopted a policy of national isolation, exchanges between the two countries never ceased.

[00:05:27]For over 200 years, the narrow 5meter wide bridge to Dejima Island in Nagasaki served as a link between Japan, the Netherlands, and the Western world.

[00:05:43]We the Japanese learned about Western technology and culture. Wilst the Dutch trading post this there introduced Japanese crafts such as Imari wear and lockear to Europe which in turn had a significant influence on your country's delware and as such we influenced each other.

[00:06:12]The longstanding exchanges between our two countries are nothing less than the fruit of the extraordinary enthusiasm and efforts of the governments and people of both countries.

[00:06:30]In the year 2000, events commemorating the 400th anniversary of Japan Netherlands exchange were held throughout Japan.

[00:06:42]Your Majesty the King, then the Crown Prince, kindly visited Japan on that occasion.

[00:06:49]Attending the commemorative ceremonies held in Nagasaki and Oita alongside your Majesty was a precious opportunity to reflect on this long history of exchanges between our two countries.

[00:07:07]As we look back on the long history of friendship and exchange between our two countries, we must at the same time never forget that there was once a time of suffering.

[00:07:22]It is truly sad that many precious lives were lost and many people were injured, including a large number of civilians during the last world war.

[00:07:37]We must always strive to be modest in learning from our past history, listen to the pains and sorrows of the people with compassion and must pass on our tragic experiences and hardships to future generations so that such sorrow is never repeated.

[00:08:03]Bearing in mind that there are those who continue to bear the pain of that time to this day, we must continue earnestly our efforts for peace.

[00:08:18]After the last world war, your royal highness, Princess Patrick's visited Japan as a state guest on two occasions in 1963 and 1991.

[00:08:32]In 2000, my parents, their majesties, the Emperor Emmeritus and Empress Emmerita, paid a state visit to your country.

[00:08:44]These visits thank thankfully fostered mutual understanding and trust between the people of our two countries.

[00:08:55]I express together with the empress my deepest respect and gratitude to your royal highness princess, your majesties the king and the queen and the many others who have devoted immeasurable efforts to building friendship between our two countries.

[00:09:19]I sincerely hope that our two countries will continue to work together for peace in the future.

[00:09:29]In this connection, I would like to pay tribute to your country's commitment to promoting an international order based on the rule of law.

[00:09:43]Tomorrow I plan to visit the H the capital of this country which is also known as the capital of international law and to visit there the peace pace.

[00:09:58]The Netherlands is the birthplace of Roius, known as the father of international law and home to various international courts and organizations including the international court of justice.

[00:10:17]We have had a personal connection with the ICG as mentioned by his majesty the king.

[00:10:25]Masako's father Oadisashi served as a judge at the ICJ for 15 years until 2018 and as its president for three years. And I would like to express our deep gratitude to your royal highness princess beatatrix and your majesties the king and the queen for extending warmest considerations to masako's parents during that time.

[00:10:58]Tomorrow I will also visit Leen University an academic institution with deep ties to Japan. Academic exchanges with Japan continue to this day at the university centered on the department of Japanese studies which was established in 1855 and is Europe's oldest center for Japanese studies.

[00:11:27]I look forward to the opportunity to talk with students and scholars concerning exchanges between Japan and the Netherlands.

[00:11:40]When we look at notable achievements of exchanges between our two countries that have been passed down to the present day, flat control is one good example.

[00:11:55]While both Japan and the Netherlands benefit from the blessing of water, we have also had to face threats from floods and storm surges.

[00:12:08]Dutch engineers including Fandolan, Asia, and Dele made significant contributions to the building of Japan's national land infrastructure in the latter half of the 19th century, including flood control, canal erosion control, and port development.

[00:12:34]Their achievements are still cherished throughout Japan to this day. When his majesty the king visited our country in 2010, we went together to see the Ton Canal which was designed and supervised by the Dutch engineer Muruda.

[00:12:58]A monument stands on the site in honor of his achievements.

[00:13:05]Today together with his majesty I visited Del Tares a research institute special specializing in applied hydraulic and geotechnical engineering in Delft. I was deeply impressed by your country's wisdom and tireless efforts in coexisting with water as well as by the numerous future oriented research projects.

[00:13:40]It also reminded me of how through bodies such as the United Nations Secretary General's Advisory Board on water and sanitation, I have had the pleasure of working with your Majesty on international activities concerning water issues.

[00:14:01]I am delighted that Japan and the Netherlands have become partners who will make a widespread contribution to the world in this field.

[00:14:15]Throughout the history of our nation's exchange, medical science has also played a vital role. Many figures with Dutch connections such as Seabot, Pompe and Bodwang who came to Japan during the Edo period contributed to the development of Japanese medical science.

[00:14:42]We are planning this time to visit the Princess Maxima Center for Pediatristic Oncology in which your Majesty the Queen is passionately engaged and I hope that research cooperation between Japan and the Netherlands will be put to good use for the sake of our children's future.

[00:15:11]Sport is another field in which exchanges between our two countries are growing deeper.

[00:15:20]In speed skating, for example, many Japanese athletes base themselves here for training. And I'm touched to see that the Dutch people offer warm cheers when these athletes compete successfully in races.

[00:15:41]Furthermore, in football, there are currently nine Japanese players playing in the erad beach, the professional league in the Netherlands.

[00:15:55]And as for the FIFA World Cup match between Japan and the Netherlands on Sunday, Masako and I had the pleasure of watching it on television together with your majesties, the king and the queen, accompanied by their beloved little poodle, Mambo.

[00:16:17]Upon their kind proposal, the game turned out to be an excellent match and I must say I was relieved by the peaceful result.

[00:16:31]I am certain that the game served as an opportunity to inspire the people of our two countries and bring them even closer.

[00:16:43]In today's world, we are deeply interconnected across borders in many ways. Yet, we face a range of challenging global issues, including climate change.

[00:16:59]Against this backdrop, I am truly delighted that there are numerous areas in which the people of Japan and the Netherlands are working together to lead global initiatives.

[00:17:15]I honestly hope that we will join hands to further broaden the scope of our cooperation and strengthen our efforts for the sake of the young people and children who will shoulder the next generation.

[00:17:37]In my hope that Japan and the Netherlands will continue to build a lasting relationship of friendship and cooperation.

[00:17:48]May I propose a toast to the continued health of your majesties, the king and the queen, to the further prosperity of our two countries and to the lasting happiness of our people.

[00:18:09]Frost.

[00:18:10]Frost. Come by. Come by.