Remarks by H.E. Hiroyuki Kishino, Ambassador of Japan to Ethiopia
at the Celebration for the Renewal of the Japanese Garden
at the National Palace on April 1, 2013

Your Excellency Ato Girma Woldegiorgis, President of the FDRE
Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Endemen Arefedachehu.  Akkam Oltan.  Good morning.

           In collaboration with the President’s Office, it is a great pleasure for me to have this opportunity to welcome you all to the celebration for the renewal of the Japanese Garden in the National Palace.  First of all, let me express my sincere appreciation to His Excellency President Girma and the Palace for making an excellent arrangement for today’s event and extending warm hospitality to us all.  I am also grateful to all the invited guests for joining us in this ceremony to share the joyous moment.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Japanese Garden, which we will visit later, was built in the late 1950s.  It was during the state visit to Japan in November 1956 by the then His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie that led the Emperor to decide to have a Japanese garden at his Palace.  It is said that the Emperor was fascinated by the traditional Japanese Gardens he saw during his stay in Japan.  Therefore, when Emperor Haile Selassie requested the Japanese Government to dispatch advisers and experts in various areas such as legal affairs, public administration, agriculture and economic issues, he did not forget to mention a landscape gardener.

In February 1958, a Japanese expert in landscape gardening named Mr. Noboru Hashimoto arrived in Addis Ababa.   He designed this Japanese Garden as per the Emperor’s instruction in the backyard of the Palace.  His garden design was approved by the Emperor in October 1958.  Based upon his plan, engineering works were carried out by Ethiopians while the gate, the roofs of the huts and some stone sculptures were taken care of by Italians.  The seedlings of many trees planted in the garden were imported from Japan.  They included Japanese black pines, maples, azaleas, camellias and so on, but only a few remain today.  The Garden, 4,240 square meters, had a small cascade, a stream, a pond, two huts, stone lanterns, bamboo bushes and so on, creating a beautiful landscape.  In November 1960, the then Their Imperial Highnesses Crown Prince Akihito and Crown Princess Michiko, now the Emperor and Empress of Japan, paid an official visit to Ethiopia, the first overseas trip after their royal marriage.  They stayed at this Jubilee Palace and enjoyed walking in this Japanese Garden.  They still have a very clear memory of their pleasant stay here.

Time passed and in April 2005, this Garden went through a major renovation.  The 17 million yen required was jointly funded by the Japan World Exposition Commemorative Fund and the Mitsubishi Social Contribution Activity Fund.  When the work was completed in November 2005, the inauguration ceremony was held here in His Excellency President Girma’s presence.  Since then, a problem developed with the pond, one of the bridges and other parts of the Garden.  Fortunately, a one million yen donation was made by a generous Japanese individual, and the Palace and the Japanese Embassy decided to have the pond and a bamboo fence renewed.  It took some time before this work was completed.  Today, I am pleased to have this gathering to celebrate the renewal of the Garden.  I would like to express my appreciation to Ato Samuel and Sunshine Construction Co. and my colleagues in the Embassy for their dedication to this project.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

This is a quick overview of the history of this Japanese Garden.  It is fascinating if we turn our memory back to over 50 years ago to imagine the Japanese Garden under construction in this Palace and the close exchanges between our two Royal Families in those days.  This Garden is a reminder of the long history of Japan-Ethiopia relations, which date back to 1930 when diplomatic relations were first established between our two countries.  This Japanese Garden is also a symbol of the long friendship and cooperation between our two peoples.

Here, let me share an anecdote that I learned.  When the then Prime Minister Meles Zenawi received foreign guests, he took them to the rooftop of the Prime Minister’s Office from time to time.  It was to show the guests the magnificent view of the Japanese Garden from there.  He too was proud of the Garden.

In concluding, it is my sincere hope that more people will be able to enjoy this Garden in the near future.  I also desire that the Garden will be kept in good condition with dedicated maintenance and management.  I am sure that you will do so.  The Japanese Embassy will most certainly maintain close cooperation with the Palace and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism for the conservation of this beautiful Garden for the benefit and enrichment of future generations.

Amesegenalehu!  Galatoomaa!  Thank you very much.