Islamabad : The Ambassador of Japan, Kuninori Matsuda and Mrs. Naoko Matsuda hosted a reception at the Serena hotel. Defence Attaché, Colonel Mamoru Nanjo, represented the JSDF.
The reception was attended by parliamentarians, senior civilian and military officials of the Government of Pakistan, members of the diplomatic community and other dignitaries from the public and private sectors, while Adjutant General, General Headquarters, Lt. General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, was the guest of honour.
To showcase the activities of the JSDF, photographs of their activities, both at home and abroad had been placed along the red carpet that led to the entrance of the Sheeshmahal Hall where the hosts were waiting to welcome their guests.
Beautiful Ikebana arrangements made by ladies of the Floral Art Society (FAS) had been placed in strategic places and there was also an exhibition of Bonsai trees – the fascinating Japanese art of growing trees in miniature form. In the hall a very big screen also showcased video footage of the activities of the JSDF. The national anthems of Japan and Pakistan were sung by students - six girls and six boys dressed in red and white Pakistani outfits - of the National University of Modern Languages (NUML) which delighted the guests who gave them a well-deserved round of applause.
In his speech, Ambassador Matsuda, touched upon the various aspects of the long history of Japan-Pakistan friendship; emphasized the need for further collaboration as there is a lot of potential to develop ties between the two countries. On the recent development of Japan-Pakistan defence cooperation, he informed that Japan and Pakistan had signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation and Exchanges and hoped that defence cooperation between the two countries would keep expanding further. In conclusion he thanked the FAS ladies for their beautiful arrangements; the students for singing the national anthems, praising their pronunciation of the Japanese language as ‘perfect’ and thanking all those who had helped to organize the function.
JSDF Day celebrates the establishment of the Japan Defence Agency and the inauguration of the Japan Ground, Maritime and Air Self-Defence Forces on 1st July, 1954. The Japan Defence Agency was upgraded to the Ministry of Defence in 2007.