On the occasion of Deshamanya Dr. P.R. Anthonis Memorial Oration
2019/3/26
Ambassador's Speech
Mr. Rajah Sinnathurai, President, Lanka Japan Friendship Society,
Mr. Merrick Gooneratne, Vice President, Lanka Japan Friendship Society,
Professor H.D. Karunaratne, Professor in Business Economics, University of Colombo,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon.
First and foremost, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to the Lanka Japan Friendship Society for inviting me to this special program, organized in commemoration of the late Deshamanya Dr. P.R. Anthonis. Taking this opportunity, I would like to pay my deepest tribute to Dr. Anthonis for his unfading contribution in strengthening the bond of friendship between Sri Lanka and Japan.
I would also like to extend my sincere appreciation to Prof. H.D. Karunaratne（カルナラトナ） for his deep insight in selecting today’s topic, that is, “The Japan Nexus-Powering South Asia towards Economic Leadership”, which is most timely and relevant as South Asia emerges as a potential growth center of the world today.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The year 1954 has a special connotation in Japanese history in terms of defining a new course after the end of World War II. It is this year that Japan joined the Colombo Plan, sponsored by Sri Lanka during the Commonwealth Foreign Ministers Conference held in Colombo in 1950, and ever since then, Japan has been consistently seeking peace and prosperity of the international community by supporting developing countries through extending ODA while making sincere efforts to solve global issues. Through these endeavors, Japan has successfully emerged as a responsible player in the world, to exert strong leadership in addressing challenges facing the international community.
Japan realized high economic growth to achieve a peaceful stable society. By going through these processes, Japan has experienced many successes and failures, and has accumulated a wealth of experience and lessons to be shared with other countries, especially those in Asia.
As a tide of new era shifts gradually towards the Indo-Pacific, with South Asia in its pivot, it is getting increasingly important to spread the fruits of economic development far and wide in order to secure peace and prosperity of the region and beyond. To this end, Japan has been extending support to South Asia for building the foundation for economic development through growth, including cooperation on improving trade and investment climate, especially by developing infrastructure and strengthening connectivity in the region, while focusing on socio-economic infrastructure development for narrowing the gap between the rich and the poor.
Such “aid for economic growth support” has its root deeply embedded in Japanese experience and played no small part in achieving high economic growth and reducing poverty in East Asia through 1960’s to 1990’s, as was articulated in a report entitled “the East Asian Miracle” issued by the World Bank in 1993. In the current context, I believe it is most befitting to apply this robust economic model in South Asia with renewed vigor and spirit, the points of which will be elaborated during the course of oration by Prof. Karunaratne today.
Ladies and gentlemen,
It was the Commonwealth Foreign Ministers Conference held in Colombo in 1950, which I mentioned earlier, that the case for a completely independent Japan was proposed and considered. The then Senanayake government took further initiatives in advancing this movement, which culminated in His Excellency Mr. J.R. Jayawardene’s historic speech at the San Francisco Peace Conference on 6th September 1951, paving the way for Japan to recover her status in the international community after World War II. Lord Buddha’s words, quoted during the speech, “Hatred ceases not by hatred, but by love” rings louder in the hearts of Japanese people even today and forms a strong foundation of true friendship between our two peoples.
Recalling this memory with renewed respect and appreciation, and expressing my best wishes for successful and fruitful outcome of today’s memorial oration, I would like to close my remarks.
Thank you very much for your kind attention.
Mr. Merrick Gooneratne, Vice President, Lanka Japan Friendship Society,
Professor H.D. Karunaratne, Professor in Business Economics, University of Colombo,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon.
First and foremost, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to the Lanka Japan Friendship Society for inviting me to this special program, organized in commemoration of the late Deshamanya Dr. P.R. Anthonis. Taking this opportunity, I would like to pay my deepest tribute to Dr. Anthonis for his unfading contribution in strengthening the bond of friendship between Sri Lanka and Japan.
I would also like to extend my sincere appreciation to Prof. H.D. Karunaratne（カルナラトナ） for his deep insight in selecting today’s topic, that is, “The Japan Nexus-Powering South Asia towards Economic Leadership”, which is most timely and relevant as South Asia emerges as a potential growth center of the world today.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The year 1954 has a special connotation in Japanese history in terms of defining a new course after the end of World War II. It is this year that Japan joined the Colombo Plan, sponsored by Sri Lanka during the Commonwealth Foreign Ministers Conference held in Colombo in 1950, and ever since then, Japan has been consistently seeking peace and prosperity of the international community by supporting developing countries through extending ODA while making sincere efforts to solve global issues. Through these endeavors, Japan has successfully emerged as a responsible player in the world, to exert strong leadership in addressing challenges facing the international community.
Japan realized high economic growth to achieve a peaceful stable society. By going through these processes, Japan has experienced many successes and failures, and has accumulated a wealth of experience and lessons to be shared with other countries, especially those in Asia.
As a tide of new era shifts gradually towards the Indo-Pacific, with South Asia in its pivot, it is getting increasingly important to spread the fruits of economic development far and wide in order to secure peace and prosperity of the region and beyond. To this end, Japan has been extending support to South Asia for building the foundation for economic development through growth, including cooperation on improving trade and investment climate, especially by developing infrastructure and strengthening connectivity in the region, while focusing on socio-economic infrastructure development for narrowing the gap between the rich and the poor.
Such “aid for economic growth support” has its root deeply embedded in Japanese experience and played no small part in achieving high economic growth and reducing poverty in East Asia through 1960’s to 1990’s, as was articulated in a report entitled “the East Asian Miracle” issued by the World Bank in 1993. In the current context, I believe it is most befitting to apply this robust economic model in South Asia with renewed vigor and spirit, the points of which will be elaborated during the course of oration by Prof. Karunaratne today.
Ladies and gentlemen,
It was the Commonwealth Foreign Ministers Conference held in Colombo in 1950, which I mentioned earlier, that the case for a completely independent Japan was proposed and considered. The then Senanayake government took further initiatives in advancing this movement, which culminated in His Excellency Mr. J.R. Jayawardene’s historic speech at the San Francisco Peace Conference on 6th September 1951, paving the way for Japan to recover her status in the international community after World War II. Lord Buddha’s words, quoted during the speech, “Hatred ceases not by hatred, but by love” rings louder in the hearts of Japanese people even today and forms a strong foundation of true friendship between our two peoples.
Recalling this memory with renewed respect and appreciation, and expressing my best wishes for successful and fruitful outcome of today’s memorial oration, I would like to close my remarks.
Thank you very much for your kind attention.