Hyderabad, a vibrant city, says Japanese envoy Kenji Hiramatsu

Hyderabad: Japanese Ambassador to India Kenji Hiramatsu visited Hyderabad last week to strengthen relations with the city and the southern states.

Talking about his visit to Hyderabad, Ambassador Kenji said, “I have met many interesting people, and have witnessed various businesses that have piqued my interest. Whenever I come here, I am always impressed by how the city is progressing and the beautiful cultural places that one can visit. Hyderabad is a very culturally and historically vibrant city and I will be taking back this essence with me.”

Honorary consul Peter T. Hassan had organised an informal get-together where Ambassador Kenji met Chief Secretary S.K. Joshi and his predecessor S.P. Singh and Mr Mohan Kanda, the former top bureaucrat of undivided Andhra Pradesh.

The invitees included former dean, Indian School of Business Dr Ajit Rangnekar, municipal administration principal secretary Arvind Kumar, AP Economic Development Board CEO J. Krishna Kishore, Joshi, Ficci Ladies Organisation president Pinky Reddy, Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd Managing Director N.V.S. Reddy and Kalakriti India founder Prshant Lahoti apart from heads of private companies.

The envoy stayed at the Taj Falaknuma Palace to experience the heritage and history of Hyderabad. The ambassador’s wife, Patricia Clara Aguado Hiramatsu also visited handloom revivalist and octogenarian Suraiya Hassan, who runs a weaving unit that preserves nearly-extinct techniques.

Speaking about Ms Patricia’s passion for textiles, Mr Hiramatsu said, “She is very interested in Indian textiles as there are a lot of similarities with Japanese textiles.”

Ambassador Kenji says his visit had been quite vibrant and that Japan was looking forward to inviting more talent and students into the country from India to explore education and research opportunities. He hoped for good bilateral relations between the two countries continues.

The Ambassador spoke on a variety of topics including the education ties between the two countries and the projects being executed in India.

The interview took place ahead of the unprecedented abdication of Emperor Akihito, who has been on the throne since 1969, due to ill-health, and the taking over of his successor, Crown Prince Naruhito. To mark the ascension of the Crown Prince, Japan has notified a new era.

Excerpts:

CULTURAL ROOTS:

Japan and India are very similar when it comes to keeping in touch with traditional and cultural roots. “Both countries immensely respect their history and the idea of authority. Japan and India have shared a history since a long time, especially with regard to Buddhism. The relationship between Indian and Japan started when the Indian Bodhisena came to Japan and inaugurated the famous Buddhist statue in 752 AD (in Todai-ji). This is considered to be the beginning of our friendship and partnership. India has a similarly rich history and therefore should embrace it as it develops into a more modern society,” said the ambassador.

EXCHANGE PROGRAMMEs

Japan is looking forward to more student exchange programmes and scholars from India visiting for research purposes. “Japan has one of the highest number of Nobel recipients in the fields of physics and biotechnology. This makes our country a brilliant place for research studies. Japan has the manufacturing resources. We also have major manufacturing units in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. We are hoping to get talent from India. We would also like to focus on more cooperative relations with the southern states,” Mr Hiramatsu said.

Zero Interest

It is almost 20 years now that the Bank of Japan first cut interest rates to zero per cent — the so-called zero interest rate policy. People who save money in Japanese banks find it is unprofitable and find better alternatives in the market. Has Japan redefined monetary policy success? "The zero-interest economic policy that was instituted to boost the sluggish Japanese economy, which made it unprofitable to save money in banks. The interest rate has been reduced to almost negative to boost our economy and achieve a more positive inflation rate. I think this policy is functioning well, and the inflation rate is going up," said Mr Hiratmasu.

New Era

Emperor Akihito, 86, abdicates on April 30 after 50 years on the throne, the 125th ruler of the world’s oldest reigning dynasty. He will be succeeded by Crown Prince Naruhito.

Japan has declared a new imperial era, Reiwa, a word that includes the character for harmony.

On Japan’s future, Mr Hiratmasu said: “The Japanese Emperor and Empress are not involved in the politics of the country. The emperor is a symbol of the state as described by the Japanese Constitution. This is the first time an Emperor is abdicating. We always remember the history of Japan according to the rule of the Emperor. This is a fresh start for Japanese people and a very important moment.”