Islamabad : ‘To have the honor of welcoming colleagues and friends on the occasion of assuming new assignment in Pakistan,’ the ambassador of Japan and Mrs Kuniori Matsuda hosted a reception at their residence. Needless to say it was a well attended affair as apart from colleagues, the Japanese have many friends and well wishers in the civil and business community who wanted to meet the new envoy and introduce themselves.
To accommodate the large number of guests a canopy had been put over the large terrace and part of the lawn where heaters had been provided but the warmth of Japanese hospitality was enough to keep the chill at bay!
Welcoming his guests, ambassador Matsuda made a brief speech interspersed with humorous remarks. “This is my first time in Pakistan and I am looking forward to my stay here,’ he said. “ Pakistan has an enormously rich history and the Indus valley civilization is one of our favorite subjects in Japan, while Ghandara and its history are popular and of great interest.” Speaking of bilateral relations between the two countries he said they were ‘deep rooted, mentioning how Pakistan helped Japan in its difficulty times as cotton trade was the key in those days. “We will work to further strengthen cooperation in business sector and support Pakistan's export competitiveness,” he said, adding that Japan's Foreign Minister visited Pakistan previously and his Pakistani counterpart will be visiting Japan soon, keeping in mind that political dialogue is important in the current situation.
On a lighter note he said Japan will be hosting 2020 Olympics and Pakistan's field hockey team will be participating. “I know cricket is very popular in Pakistan and it is becoming popular in Japan also. Believe me, there are some cricket teams in Japan.”
Dinner with both Japanese and Pakistani cuisine was served and it turned out to be a pleasant ‘getting to know you’ occasion.
Ambassador Matsuda graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo (March 1982); graduated from Defense Language Institute, USA (June 1984). He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (April 1982); First Secretary, Embassy of Japan in USA (July1996); Counsellor, Embassy of Japan in Russia (July 1998); Director, Overseas Public Relations Division (August 2001); Senior Fellow/Director of Research Coordination the Japan Institute of International Affairs (April 2003); Director, Russian Division ( February 2004); Minister, Embassy of Japan in Israel ( March 2007); Consul General, Consulate-General of Japan in Detroit (July: 2010) Deputy Director General, National Institute of Public Administration, National Personnel Authority of Japan (July 2013) Consul General (Ambassador), Consulate-General of Japan in Hong-Kong (September 2015); Ambassador Embassy of Japan in Pakistan (December 2018).