At the Reception to Bid Farewell to Ms. Hikari Nishimoto, Head of the Press and Culture Section and Embassy Spokesperson at the Japanese Ambassador’s Residence on 26 July, 2013

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good evening and welcome to my residence.  Thank you very much for joining us for this reception despite the unpredictable weather.  We have gathered here this evening to bid farewell to Hikari, better known as Sunny.

Hikari has served as Head of the Press and Culture Section and Spokesperson at our Embassy in Addis Ababa for more than three years.  Hikari will stay here for another month before she leaves for Washington D.C. to assume her new post at our Embassy there.  Therefore, you will have plenty of time to say goodbye before her departure.

Last month Shiori, one of my trusted colleagues, left for Japan.  Hikari is another most distinguished diplomat.  Despite her young age, she has shown her talent in every aspect of press and cultural affairs.  Hikari is a multi-talented diplomat and a genius in entertaining people, particularly at big events.  She is a born entertainer who can reach the hearts of the audience with her smile, charm, style, humor and wit.  Thanks to ‘Hikari magic,’ all the cultural events she planned and implemented during the past three years were very successful, with no exception.  As you may remember, they include the Japanese jazz concert, the Japanese pottery exhibition and the Japanese drum concert in 2011, the karate demonstration, the kendo demonstration and the Ikebana workshop and demonstration in 2012, the two Girls Day festivals and two Japanese film festivals in 2011 and 2012, and most recently, the celebration for the renewal of the Japanese Garden at the Presidential Palace and the Japanese Design Exhibition this year.  Hikari, I thank you very much for your excellent job during your tour of duty here.

At our Embassy, Hikari is like a cheerleader, creating lively mood in the entire office.  Hikari has also done a good job in dealing with the Ethiopian media, including the TV, radio and newspapers.  Not only did she organize a number of interviews for me, but she issued many press releases explaining Japan’s activities in Ethiopia and Africa.  She organized several press tours as well and continued to send messages to the media herself as Spokesperson of the Embassy.  Hikari also worked very hard in launching the Japan Ethiopia Alumni Society (JEAS) and organized five General Assembly meetings to date.  In all these tasks, she has proved to be an excellent networker, building an impressive array of contacts here in Addis.  This is why so many guests are here today.

Thanks to her leadership and dedication as the Head of Section together with the excellent team work with her staff, Dejene Sakoume and the late Ichiro Otake, I believe that the Press and Culture Section at our Embassy is now ranked #1 among all Japanese Embassies in the Sub-Saharan region.  I appreciate this very much, and, therefore, it is a great loss that Hikari has to leave here in September.

However, we expect a new colleague to join us as Hikari’s successor in early September.  His name is Mr. Koo Nakamura, and he is coming from our Embassy in Bangladesh.  We plan to present a Japanese drum concert in Addis Ababa on 6 and 7 September as our second event of the Japanese cultural series for this fiscal year.  Therefore, I think, we can introduce him on that occasion.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Hikari is leaving in one month’s time.  I wish her all the best in her new assignment in Washington D.C.  Meanwhile, here in Addis Ababa, I look forward to building on Hikari’s groundwork by continuing the good working relationship with you, our colleagues in the diplomatic community, the Ethiopian media, cultural institutes, academia, schools and other organizations.

Thank you for your attention.  May I now ask Hikari to say a few words?