Historical ties of Japan & Nagaland should be expanded further: Ambassador Suzuki

KOHIMA, DECEMBER 6: Ambassador of Japan, Hiroshi Suzuki while expressing that Nagas and Japanese have historical ties since World War-II, today said the friendship should be expanded further.

He said this while speaking as chief guest on the 6th day of the ‘Cultural Connect’, organised by the Department of Art & Culture, as part of the ongoing Hornbill Festival of Nagaland at Naga Heritage Village, Kisama.

Suzuki said Japan and Nagaland has long standing historical ties that goes back to World War-II and taking the opportunity expressed deepest gratitude to the generosity of Naga people extended to the Japanese people who came here after the war to collect the remains of their families.

“We are grateful for the warmest support to the Japanese by the Naga people”, he said.

As the Ambassador of Japan, Suzuki said, “We want to strengthen and expand our cooperation and the friendship that we enjoy between Nagaland and Japan”.

Recalling that Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio had hosted a cultural programme during his first visit to the State in the recent past, Suzuki said “this is a testament that you go out of your way to preserve your tradition and culture that were handed down from generation to generation by the forefathers”.

Hornbill festival is the festival of festivals with so many cultural demonstrations that are performed here, he said.

He said he wants more and more Japanese people to visit Nagaland so that they would also be greatly impressed with the culture and tradition of the Nagas thereby become huge fans of the Nagas.

Suzuki hoped that through such initiative people-to-people exchange would expand and there would much more friendship between Japan and Nagaland in the near future.

The Japanese Envoy also expressed that he wants more Nagas to go to Japan therefore Nagaland University and Japan have inked a Memorandum of Understanding at Kohima yesterday.

As per the MoU, NU will provide Japanese Language Education to enable more and more talented Nagas to go to Japan to study and have skill based training or even work in Japan, he said.

(Page News Service)