Welcome back to Japan, Ambassador Muto.
It is my great pleasure and honor to have a chance to speak on behalf of our Ministry's Korean Group to celebrate your 40th anniversary of foreign service and retirement.
Mr. Ambassador, let's look back on your diplomatic career to share it with the many distinguished guests here tonight.
You were born in Tokyo 65 years ago and brought up as the only son in the family of a prominent diplomat.
After you graduated from the university in Yokohama, you entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to follow in your father's footsteps in 1972.
Nevertheless you preferred to brush up a professional expertise in Korean affairs and went to universities in the USA and Korea for another 3 years.
We met for the first time in the same class at the Korean Language Institute of Yeonse University（延世大学校） in Korea.
I was very impressed not only by your profound knowledge in history but also your good linguistic talent.
I can still remember your proposal to take an extra individual Korean lesson with me in addition to the group lesson at the Institute.
Thanks to many efforts like this, you became extremely skilled in both Korean and English.
14 years later in 1988 when the Olympic Games were held in Seoul, you did a great job as an Olympic attache to help Japanese athletes do their best in the games. I was happy to assist you as a sub attache for yachting in Busan, the second largest city in Korea.
Another 5 years passed, and you were assigned to be the Director of public relations and cultural affairs in Korea.
Mr. Ambassador, did'nt you have been a Toastmaster? You were so good at communicating with Korean people that you had a good reputation due to the original columns you wrote in the embassy's news letter.
And finally you held office as a Japanese ambassador to Korea.
You have achieved many good results in the last 2 years. Among other things I should mention the dramatic development of friendly relationships between both countries.
A recent poll shows a big drop in the number of Korean people who hate Japan, and now about 5 million citizens of Korea and Japan come and go over Tsusima Straight every year.
Mr. Ambassador, you may take a brief rest to be healed after retirement, but I hope you keep interacting with Korean people like A BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER.
Mr. Ambassador, please stay healthy and always be happy.
It is my great pleasure and honor to have a chance to speak on behalf of our Ministry's Korean Group to celebrate your 40th anniversary of foreign service and retirement.
Mr. Ambassador, let's look back on your diplomatic career to share it with the many distinguished guests here tonight.
You were born in Tokyo 65 years ago and brought up as the only son in the family of a prominent diplomat.
After you graduated from the university in Yokohama, you entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to follow in your father's footsteps in 1972.
Nevertheless you preferred to brush up a professional expertise in Korean affairs and went to universities in the USA and Korea for another 3 years.
We met for the first time in the same class at the Korean Language Institute of Yeonse University（延世大学校） in Korea.
I was very impressed not only by your profound knowledge in history but also your good linguistic talent.
I can still remember your proposal to take an extra individual Korean lesson with me in addition to the group lesson at the Institute.
Thanks to many efforts like this, you became extremely skilled in both Korean and English.
14 years later in 1988 when the Olympic Games were held in Seoul, you did a great job as an Olympic attache to help Japanese athletes do their best in the games. I was happy to assist you as a sub attache for yachting in Busan, the second largest city in Korea.
Another 5 years passed, and you were assigned to be the Director of public relations and cultural affairs in Korea.
Mr. Ambassador, did'nt you have been a Toastmaster? You were so good at communicating with Korean people that you had a good reputation due to the original columns you wrote in the embassy's news letter.
And finally you held office as a Japanese ambassador to Korea.
You have achieved many good results in the last 2 years. Among other things I should mention the dramatic development of friendly relationships between both countries.
A recent poll shows a big drop in the number of Korean people who hate Japan, and now about 5 million citizens of Korea and Japan come and go over Tsusima Straight every year.
Mr. Ambassador, you may take a brief rest to be healed after retirement, but I hope you keep interacting with Korean people like A BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER.
Mr. Ambassador, please stay healthy and always be happy.
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