King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima smile during Emperor Naruhito's remarks at a state banquet in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on June 17. (Pool photo)
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During a state banquet hosted by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima in Amsterdam on June 17, Emperor Naruhito reflected on the more than 400 years of friendship and exchange between Japan and the Netherlands. He also spoke about the hardships of World War II, emphasizing the importance of passing on the experiences and lessons of war to future generations. The Emperor expressed his hope that the two countries would continue working together to promote peace.
The following is the full text of Emperor Naruhito's speech.
Your Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima, Your Royal Highness Princess Beatrix, Goedenavond,
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 beautiful State banquet and for the cordial words of welcome extended to us by His Majesty the King. 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.
Memories of Past Visits
My first visit to your country was in 1984, 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 Willem-Alexander, who was a teenaged Crown Prince at the time, and of sailing on Queen Beatrix's private yacht on Lake Ijssel, in the company of Your Royal Highness Princess Beatrix, who was Her Majesty the Queen at the time, as well as the late Prince Claus, His Majesty King Willem-Alexander and Prince Constantijn.
Since then, I have had the honour of being invited to the beautiful wedding of Your Majesties in 2002 and to the magnificent Investiture in 2013. It was a great pleasure for the Empress and me to be able to offer our congratulations in person.
Koi Carps at Het oude Loo
Furthermore, in 2006, at the generous invitation of Her Majesty Queen Beatrix, I, together with my wife Masako and our daughter Aiko, were very fortunate to enjoy tremendously our summer holidays at Het oude Loo. We received such thoughtful considerations from Your Royal Highness Princess Beatrix and Your Majesties the King and the Queen, as well as the people of the Netherlands during our stay.
The warm hospitality and the care we received there made the relaxing and enjoyable stay in the beautiful setting of Het Loo even more special, and the unforgettable memories of our happy stay remain in the special place in our hearts to this day.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude once again for your kindness on that occasion.
Masako and I were also truly delighted and grateful to be able to spend a few days at the beloved Het oude Loo again this time at the kind invitation of Your Majesties the King and the Queen.
There was a happy surprise for us upon arrival to Het oude Loo, namely, to be greeted again by koi-carps that my parents had donated, and Your Royal Highness Princess Beatrix, together with His Majesty the King, had released in the moat in 1980, and also by the black swan that our daughter Aiko was feeding bread almost every day during our stay 20 years ago.
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-carps, as well as about seeing some of the same staff members that had taken care of us at Het oude Loo the last time, Aiko was quite surprised and says she is very touched.
Over Four Centuries of Exchange
The relations between our two countries began when the Dutch vessel "De Liefde" drifted ashore in Japan in 1600, after a voyage fraught with difficulties. Even during the period when Japan adopted a policy of national isolation, exchanges between the two countries never ceased.
For over 200 years, the narrow, five-metre-wide bridge to Dejima island in Nagasaki served as a link between Japan, the Netherlands and the Western world. We, the Japanese, learned about Western technology and culture, whilst the Dutch trading post there introduced Japanese crafts such as Imari ware and lacquerware to Europe, which in turn had a significant influence on your country's Delftware, and as such, we influenced each other.
The long-standing 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.
In the year 2000, events commemorating the 400th anniversary of Japan-Netherlands exchange were held throughout Japan. Your Majesty the King, then the Crown Prince, kindly visited Japan on that occasion. 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.
Remembering the Past, Working for Peace
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. 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.
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. 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.
After the last world war, Your Royal Highness Princess Beatrix visited Japan as a state guest on two occasions, in 1963 and 1991. In 2000, my parents, Their Majesties the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Emerita, paid a state visit to your country. These visits thankfully fostered mutual understanding and trust between the people of our two countries.
I express, together with the Empress, my deepest respect and gratitude to Your Royal Highness Princess Beatrix, Your Majesties the King and the Queen, and the many others who have devoted immeasurable efforts to building friendship between our two countries. I sincerely hope that our two countries will continue to walk together for peace in the future.
Upholding the Rule of Law
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." Tomorrow, I plan to visit The Hague, which is known as "the capital of international law," and to visit there the Peace Palace. The Netherlands is the birthplace of Grotius, known as "the father of international law," and home to various international courts and organizations, including the International Court of Justice(ICJ).
We have had a personal connection with the ICJ, as mentioned by His Majesty the King, Masako's father, OWADA Hisashi, served as a judge at the ICJ for 15 years until 2018 and as its President for 3 years, and I would like to express our deep gratitude to Your Royal Highness Princess Beatrix and Your Majesties the King and the Queen for extending warmest considerations to Masako's parents during that time.
Academic Exchanges
Tomorrow, I will also visit Leiden University, an academic institution with deep ties to Japan. Academic exchanges with Japan continue to this day at the University, centred on the Department of Japanese Studies, which was established in 1855 and is Europe's oldest centre for Japanese studies. I look forward to the opportunity to talk with students and scholars concerning exchanges between Japan and the Netherlands.
When we look at notable achievements of exchanges between our two countries that have been passed down to the present day, flood control is one good example. While both Japan and the Netherlands benefit from the blessings of water, we have also had to face threats from floods and storm surges. Dutch engineers, including Van Doorn, Escher and De Rijke, made significant contributions to the building of Japan's national land infrastructure in the latter half of the nineteenth century, including flood control, canal erosion control and port development.
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 Tone Canal which was designed and supervised by the Dutch engineer Mulder. A monument stands on the site in honour of his achievements.
Learning from Water
Today, together with His Majesty, I visited Deltares, a research institute specialising in applied hydraulic and geotechnical engineering in Delft. I was deeply impressed by your country's wisdom and tireless efforts in co-existing with water, as well as by the numerous future-oriented research projects.
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. I am delighted that Japan and the Netherlands have become partners who will make a widespread contribution to the world in this field.
Medical Science
Throughout the history of our nations' exchange, medical science has also played a vital role. Many figures with Dutch connections, such as von Siebold, Pompe and Baudouin, who came to Japan during the Edo period, contributed to the development of Japanese medical science.
We are planning this time to visit the Princess Máxima Centre for Pediatric 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.
Sport Exchange
Sport is another field in which exchanges between our two countries are growing deeper. In speed skating, for example, many Japanese athletes base themselves here for training, and I am touched to see that the Dutch people offer warm cheers when these athletes compete successfully in races. Furthermore, in football, there are currently nine Japanese players playing in the Eredivisie, the professional league in the Netherlands.
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, upon their kind proposal. The game turned out to be an excellent match, and I must say I was relieved by the peaceful result. I am certain that the game served as an opportunity to inspire the people of our two countries and bring them even closer.
A Toast to the Future
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. 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.
I earnestly 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.
In my hope that Japan and the Netherlands will continue to build a lasting relationship of friendship and cooperation, 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.
Proost!
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Speech by His Majesty Emperor Naruhito
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