Interview with the Ambassador of Japan to Greece Mr. Takanori ΚΙΤΑMURA   Ambassador Takanori Kitamura once served  in our country as Minister at the Embassy of Japan in Athens. In that capacity, he did a great deal to actively promote Greek-Japanese relations. He was designated Japan's top diplomat in Greece in 2006. In this interview with Greece-Japan.com, Ambassador Kitamura shared his impressions of post-Olympics Athens and Greece in general after a 10-year absence and his views on the two countries' current and future economic, political and cultural ties.

(c) copyright photo: Greece-Japan.com

Ambassador Kitamura, we thank you very much for kindly granting us this interview.  What makes this interview even more interesting is that you have already served as Minister at the Japanese Embassy in Athens.  Have you noticed any changes in Greece since then?

Some things have changed and some things have remained unchanged.  The first thing one notices is the change in infrastructure; I arrived at a new airport, which is different from the one I remember 10 years ago, you now have a new transport network, extended subway, a tram system, etc. 
This is indeed a big difference, but I have paid more attention to another type of change; Greece is politically and economically stronger than before.  The economy is much stronger and growing at a rate higher than other E.U. countries.  Politically, before, the Greek foreign policy was focused on specific items, which are still important, but in addition, Greece is now playing a leading role in the area.  The Greek foreign policy has expanded beyond this area, as well. So Greece is stronger politically and economically and this trend is likely to continue.
The lack of changes regards the city itself, which remains largely the same. Change in Asia means that a city changes completely, not that much Japan, but certainly in Hong Kong where I was previously posted, not to mention mainland China, the term change means really big changes in the city itself.  Athens has not changed much, like Europe in general, so in that sense, Athens is like the rest of Europe.

What is the image of Greece in Japan?  Do you believe it has changed since the 2004 Athens Olympic Games?

Greece is well-known in Japan.  School children learn about ancient Greek history and culture from textbooks from a very young age.  This positive input since childhood is likely to continue, so the majority of the Japanese have a good image of Greece.  Second, the mass media in Japan often carry information about Greece, mainly about island landscapes, the remains of the ancient civilization, etc, thereby enhancing the country’s positive image.  Sports is another area from where the Japanese derive information about Greece, e.g. the recent 2004 Olympic Games, which were a success for Greece and for the Japanese athletes alike, as they performed better compared to previous Olympics (e.g. gold medal in women’s marathon).  The majority of the Japanese watched the Games and so learned more about Greece.

So I would say that school textbooks, the mass media and sports are the main three sources for information about Greece.

Is there any aspect of Greek history/art that you feel most passionate about?

I will raise two points: First, the Greek myths, which are very similar to the Japanese ones.  The Japanese are very familiar with Greek mythology, some even more so than with Japanese mythology.  In both cultures there are many gods, whereas in most parts of the world, there is only one God.  Both cultures also share similar stories about heroes, like Hercules, who fought against evil; we have a similar hero in Japanese mythology.

Moreover, the notion of democracy and citizenship that existed in Greek cities 2500 years ago is something I am passionate about.

China, a country you are very familiar with - given your academic and career background - considers Greece as the gateway to the Balkans.  Would you say that Japan has a similar view of Greece or not?

First let me mention the Action Plan about the Balkans signed in 2002 between the then PMs Simitis and Koizumi.  Japan then showed its intentions to contribute to the stability of the area as early as 2002.  This topic was on the agenda last year, as well, during the incumbent PM’s last visit to Japan (Nov. 2005).  This is the political side of the story, and we could say that both countries have agreed that aside from their bilateral relations, they need to collaborate for stability in the Balkans.  On the economic plane, we know that Greece can provide good business opportunities for expansion into the neighboring countries.  In this sense, it could be considered as a gateway to the Balkans and the Greek authorities emphasize that Greece would like to act as a gateway, in order to attract investments or other kinds of joint ventures in Greece and other countries in the region, so we are working to this end.

It is a well-known fact that, Greece’s notorious red tape, despite the current government’s efforts to reduce it, is still a barrier to foreign investment.  What is your evaluation of the current investment climate and trade relations between Japan and Greece?

I understand that the Greek government is working hard on improving the business environment and we recognize that the appropriate effort is being made, although the results are not as fast as the people or we would expect.  Having said that, regarding trade, I noticed the efforts of the Greek side to promote Greek exports to Japan; I just met a mission of 20 companies who spent some days at Tokyo for the purposes of trade promotion and I was told that many Japanese companies attended that trade exhibition and lots of trade talks took place.  This is just an example of the honest and serious efforts made by the Greek side, and I also see more interest from the Japanese side to import things from Greece.

Some people say that Greece is a small market of 10 million people, however the consumption is higher than in other countries of similar size, plus, as I mentioned before, we could see Greece as the gateway to the other expanding markets in the region.  But this is a new situation, which is emerging and it is not clear how we could capitalize in this.  So we expect the Greek side, the Greek authorities to clarify what are the advantages and business chances for Japanese companies.  By the same token, I would like to encourage Japanese business circles to gain a better understanding of the business chances in this region.

Regarding red tape, I do see the efforts being made by the current administration and the urgent steps it took.

If you had a message that you would like to give to the Greek government regarding the investment environment in Greece, what would it be?

Regarding the investment environment, we have some investments that are facing some difficulties.  The relevant authorities acknowledged these difficulties and are trying to solve the problems.  I saw their good intentions and their attention, and although the solution has not come yet, I know the problems are being properly handled and will soon be solved.  So solving the problems first is a good guarantee and the best medicine for improving the business climate.

Has there been any progress in the Greek-Japanese trade relations recently? Are any new business agreements to be signed in the near future?

I do not foresee any business agreements between the two countries in the near future.  My position is that a business agreement or arrangement is welcome if it improves the economic ties between two countries.  However, in my opinion,  a slow pace between two countries should not be attributed to any lack of such agreements, there might be some other ways to expand bilateral ties. So I don’t foresee any agreements soon.  In a broader sense, however, we need an air arrangement for quick air access between the two countries.  We need to improve the traffic access and we should have a shorter air route and for the time being neither the Greek side nor the Japanese side are prepared to start a direct flight, so maybe a third country company.  This is an arrangement I have in mind and would very much like to see.

Is the collaboration between the two countries still strong in the shipping and shipbuilding sectors?  In your view, are there any other sectors in which Japan and Greece could share knowledge?

Shipping is a major part of our bilateral economic ties and many Japanese shipping companies have representatives in Athens.  However, aside from shipping, I look forward to the collaboration in other sectors, e.g. IT and telecommunications, construction and energy.  There are no Japanese investments in the telecom sector so far, but it is a promising sector for collaboration.  Regarding construction, I know that Greek companies have expanded into the neighboring countries and I know they are interested in collaborating with Japanese companies.  As regards energy, apart for the already existing Japanese investment (in S. Peloponnese) in the wind energy sector, there is also the solar energy sector, in which Japan has very good know-how.

Given the importance of Japan as an international power, the lack of a Japanese Studies faculty (sadly Greece is the only EU country lacking a tertiary education-level East Asian studies program) in Greece is keenly felt. The creation of a Japanese Studies Department at the University of Athens with the kind support and collaboration of Japan had been announced, but did not come to pass eventually.  Could you explain to us the reasons why all efforts in this direction have failed so far?

Just for the record, let me reiterate that in November 2005, when the Greek PM Karamanlis visited Japan, the Greek side expressed its intention to start a Japanese studies course at the University of Athens and the Japanese side welcomed this decision.  Since then my embassy has been working on that and I can say that the preparation is on the right track. The embassy had discussions with the Athens University on several occasions and we know that Athens University is really interested in starting this course as early as possible. I have met with the rector and we have agreed to speed up the process.  We have the program by the Japan Foundation and we will assist in specific ways, e.g. by providing professors and teaching material, that is, not just by works but facts.
We shall assist the University, to open the department next academic year. 

During your last service in Greece, you were known as a very regular follower of Japan-related events, which you invariably honored with your presence.  As the Ambassador to Greece, what are your priorities in your effort to make Japan better known to the Greek public?

As I mentioned earlier, culture, art and sports connect Japan and Greece; I would like to capitalize on these good ties on culture art or sports and organize more events, so that the Greek people have more opportunities to associate with Japanese culture and sports. Secondly, Japan is trying to be a bigger player in the world and I understand that Greece is also doing the same, so that there is more room for the sides to exchange opinions and to know more about the positions, ideas and messages on many issues, global, regional and so on. Therefore, I would like to convey the Japanese messages on many new issues, so that Greek political and economic etc. leaders can understand Japan better, and to do so, I need to make a better use of the mass media.

Ιnterview conducted by Maria Fraidaki and Philippos Gkritzotis

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