at the Reception for the Reshuffling of Staff in the Political and AU Section at the Japanese Ambassador’s Residence on 6 June, 2013

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good evening and welcome to my residence.  Thank you very much for joining us for this reception despite the unstable weather.  We have gathered here this evening to bid farewell to Shiori, Head of the Political and AU Section, and to introduce her successor, Asuka, and a new political officer, Fumiko, who recently joined our Embassy.

First of all, Shiori, who is often called Princess Shiori by defense colleagues, has served at our Embassy in Addis Ababa for two years.  She is scheduled to leave for Tokyo soon, upon completion of her tour of duty.  Shiori has been a most distinguished diplomat, despite her age, and has shown her talent in every aspect.  She has proved to be a skilled negotiator and an excellent networker, building an impressive array of contacts here in Addis.  The speed and accuracy of her work are outstanding.  Shiori is also a good pianist and an enjoyable tennis partner.  Thanks to her leadership as the Head and the excellent team work within her Section, the Political and AU Section at our Embassy is now the #1 among all Japanese Embassies in the Sub-Sahara region in leading Japan’s foreign policy in Africa.  I appreciate this very much, and, therefore, it is a great loss that Shiori has to leave for Tokyo.

Secondly, Shiori will be succeeded as the Head of the Political and AU Section by Asuka, whom many of you know well as she has been serving at our Embassy for the past two years, mainly focusing on the African Union.  Asuka is another dedicated diplomat, who is always a hard worker and a deep thinker, having a strong sense of responsibility and her own extensive network.  She will continue to be our primary contact person with the AU Commission, but, in addition to that, she will have a broader responsibility as the new Head of the Section.

The third colleague I would like to introduce is Fumiko Nishihara, a new political officer, who assumed her duty here in May.  When she finished her Master’s degree at the Fletcher School in Boston, she was assigned to our Embassy.  She will take over most of the work Shiori has covered such as Ethiopian foreign policy, peace and security issues in Africa, the AU and IGAD.  She will also be designated as our new Liaison Officer with the defense community in Addis Ababa until a Defense Attaché is assigned to our Embassy.

Here, let me introduce one more colleague from our Political and AU Section, Yume, who has such a wonderful name as “yume” literally means “dream.”  She has been serving at our Embassy for a year and half, mainly focusing on regional issues including North and South Sudan negotiations as well as Ethiopian internal politics.  Yume is another active, talented diplomat, good at making friends among senior people in particular and writing incisive analytical reports.

As you will now be aware, our political team is composed of women, all very active and powerful female diplomats, which Her Excellency Dr. Dlamini Zuma may envy as the Chairperson attaches importance to gender equality.  Some people call them “Amazons.”  Indeed, they are not so wrong, but I prefer the term, “resourceful women.”

Ladies and Gentlemen,

These are the changes we have undergone or will undergo soon.  I hope that we continue to have good working relationships with each other in the diplomatic and defense communities and also in our relations with Ethiopian counterparts and AU colleagues.

Thank you for your attention.  May I now ask each of my colleagues to say a few words.