In an exclusive interview with Albanian Daily News, the Ambassador of Japan to Tirana, Kato Kikuko focused on the relationship with Albania, the achievements and ambitions for the future. The Ambassador, who presented her credentials to President Begaj on December 19, 2023, noted that she had an impression that there is a high expectation in Albania toward Japan and desire for an enhancement of mutual exchange in various areas.  

“I will do my best to deepen our excellent bilateral relations in various areas as partners sharing the same universal values, based upon our friendship over 100 years, not only by further developing the growing bilateral economic ties, but also through enhancing cultural and people to people exchanges,” said the Ambassador.

Ms. Kikuko congratulated Albania for its successful completion of the two-year mandate of the non-permanent membership in the UN Security Council. “Japan and Albania were both in the Security Council in 2023 and worked closely for the maintenance of international peace and security.”

Asked about the security environment in the Pacific and Japan’s role in these difficult times, Tokyo’s top diplomatic envoy to Tirana said: “Japan’s security environment is becoming even severer with the dramatic shift in the global power balance, the emergence of new threats such asterrorism and cyber-attacks, and the severe security environment in the Asia-Pacific region.”

Ambassador Kikuko said that even though Japan and Albania are geographically so far away, she had already experienced that their hearts are close through the warm hospitality and positive perception. “I look forward to visiting as many places in this beautiful country as much as possible and meeting with our Albanian friends as many as possible. By doing so I will convey the current picture of Japan in an appropriate manner, deepen our relations, mutual understanding and make Japan’s presence in Albania more visible,” said the Ambassador of Japan to Tirana, Kato Kikuko in the following interview:

Albanian Daily News: At the outset let me thank you, Your Excellency, for this interview with Albanian Daily News, taking the opportunity to wish you success during your ambassadorial tenure in Albania. Ms. Ambassador, you presented your credentials to President Begaj on December 19, 2023, and since then you have had an intensive series of meetings with high authorities of Albania. Please, as this is the first interview with AND, could you say a few words about your career before being appointed in Tirana and secondly, which are your impressions of the first meetings with the Albanian authorities?

Ambassador Kato Kikuko: Thank you so much for this occasion and for your kind words to me. I feel honored to receive an opportunity of interview with ADN. Before my arrival in this beautiful country as the third resident Ambassador of Japan to Albania, I was Consul General of Japan in Hamburg, Germany. In my diplomatic career, I have been engaged in various issues, but for relatively long years in multilateral issues such as UN policy issues, especially UN Security Council and its reform, and international legal affairs, in particular the matters related to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. In Tokyo I have served as Director of the Ocean Division (now called Law of the Sea Division) as well as the Director of the International Judicial Proceedings Division in the International Legal Affairs Bureau. As overseas posts, I served in our missions to the International Organizations in Vienna and to the UN in New York as well as our Embassies in Germany and Hungary and the Consulate-General in Hamburg. I am a German speaker in the Ministry.

After my submission of the letters of credentials, I have been making courtesy calls on the representatives of the Albanian Parliament and Government and heads of municipalities. I have been meeting with those in business, economy, and culture as well. Having conducted the signing ceremonies of grant contracts with various recipients such as municipalities and NGOs through the grant assistance scheme for Grass-roots and Human Security Projects of my Government or opening of several cultural events, I already had the pleasure to meet and talk with representatives of several municipalities and representatives in the cultural sector. I will try to meet with our partners and friends in Albanian as possible.

Though those meetings, I had an impression that there is a high expectation toward Japan and desire for an enhancement of mutual exchange in various areas.

-Prime Minister Fumio Kishida noted during last year’s visit of Albanian counterpart, Edi Rama to Tokyo that Japan looked forward to strengthening the cooperation between the two countries, which has been welcomed and wished by the entire Albanian segments of politics, civil society and ordinary people. In this spirit the relations between the two countries have diversified, eyeing new forms of cooperation. In this framework, which are some of your ambitions during your tenure, taking into consideration the up to now achievements?

-Following the successful visit of Prime Minister Rama to Japan in February 2023, the delegation of the Chamber of Commerce and Commerce of Japan in Albania headed by its Chairperson Mr. Avni Ponari visited Japan last June. Further the Albania-Japan Parliamentary Friendship Group headed by its Chairperson Mr. Laert Duraj made a visit to Japan last September. From the Japanese side as well, members of Japan- Albania Parliamentary Friendship Group, businesspersons, academia and cultural figures, are visiting Albania more than ever. These visits enriched our bilateral relations further.

I will do my best to deepen our excellent bilateral relations in various areas as partners sharing the same universal values, based upon our friendship over 100 years, not only by further developing the growing bilateral economic ties, but also through enhancing cultural and people to people exchanges. By doing so, I believe that I can promote further the “Western Balkans Initiative” in a concrete manner. The said Initiative was launched by Japan in 2018, which aims at supporting socio-economic reforms in the Western Balkan countries toward EU accession, as well as facilitating cooperation in the region.

- Albania and Japan have entered the second centennial of their friendly friendship and over this time the countries and people have established strong and lasting bonds of friendship and cooperation. However 2024 finds both countries amid challenging times ranging from global economic downturn and a turbulent time with many conflicts threatening peace and security among which the Russian aggression on Ukraine. Which are some of the ways that Tokyo and Tirana cooperate to contribute to peace and security at international organizations? During the meeting with FM Hasani you touched upon the further strengthening of cooperation between Japan and Albania in the international arena.

-First of all, I would like to congratulate Albania for its successful completion of the two-year mandate of the non-permanent membership in the UN Security Council. Japan and Albania were both in the Security Council in 2023 and worked closely for the maintenance of international peace and security. While Japan’s non-permanent membership in the Security Council continues in 2024, I am sure that both countries continue to cooperate in the work of the UN as a whole or other international for a, based upon our excellent work-together in the Security Council. Japan and Albania are now both members of the UN Human Rights Council. Both countries are making efforts to achieve SDGs. There are a lot of areas for our further cooperation in global issues.

- An important part of the overall cooperation is the cultural exchanges between the two countries and people. More Japanese tourists are visiting Albania, the Japanese Cultural Week was organized in autumn last year and the people-to-people exchanges are increasing. What could you say Ms. Ambassador about the further diversification of such exchanges, looking forward that the Japanese government will soon allow Albanians to travel without visa to Japan as the Japanese can travel freely to Albania?

- I am pleased to know that last year’s Japanese Cultural Week in Albania was positively accepted by our Albanian friends. Japan has been promoting the “Cool Japan” campaign in order to convey the various aspects of Japanese culture which our friends abroad consider “cool”. The so-called “pop-culture” like manga, animation, Japanese food, or cosplay (dressing in costume as a manga character etc.), and traditional culture such as tea ceremony, calligraphy or budo (Japanese martial arts) etc. are also considered cool and become more and more popular. I would like to continue our efforts in introducing our culture through proper events for its appropriate understanding.

As for people to people exchange, I am pleased to observe that more and more candidates are applying for MEXT scholarship (Japanese Government scholarship) and the MIRAI exchange programme. As for visa free travel to Japan, it is my understanding that the aspiration of the Albanian side is under consideration in Tokyo.

-Please, what could you tell our readers about the security environment in the Pacific and Japan’s role in these difficult times?

-Japan’s security environment is becoming even more severe with the dramatic shift in the global power balance, the emergence of new threats such asterrorism and cyber-attacks, and the severe security environment in the Asia-Pacific region.

While the international community as a whole is facing changes defining an era, the very foundation of the international order is being shaken and the world stands at a historic crossroads. As Japan is finding itself in the midst of the most severe and complex security environment since the end of WWII, maintaining and developing a free and open international order based on the rule of law is becoming more important than ever.

Against this backdrop, Japan adopted the new National Security Strategy at the end of 2022. In this strategy, the diplomatic capabilities are set forth as the first pillar of the main elements of comprehensive national power for Japan’s national security. Under this strategy Japan enhances its diplomatic engagement in promoting free and open international order based upon rule of law, working together with our allies and other partners who share the same basic values. Prime Minister Rama expressed his strong support to this strategy during his visit to Japan. We are also aware that the stability of the Western Balkans region is important not only for Europe but also for Japan and the rest of the international community. To that end, as mentioned earlier, we continue to take concrete measures under Japan’s Western Balkans Initiative to support the reform efforts of the Western Balkan countries including Albania toward EU membership as well as facilitate dialogues. I appreciate the further understanding and cooperation of the Albanian Government to that end.

- To conclude, may I ask if this is the first time that you come to Albania and in any case which are your initial impressions about Tirana and other cities you have visited and the occasional meetings with ordinary people? Which is the message of the diplomatic envoy of Tokyo to the Albanian people on this occasion?   

- This is my first time to come to Albania. But from the very first days of my stay in Tirana I feel like I were at my home. My hometown in Japan, Iida City in Nagano Prefecture is located in the middle of Honshu Island which is mountainous area. The landscape where I live here is also at the hilly area of Mount Dajt and provides very similar ambient to my hometown.

Not only the blue sky and warm temperature even in the wintertime, I am also very impressed with the warm hospitality of the Albanian people as well as high interest in our culture and society.

I am also pleased to know that many cherry trees were planted as a symbol of our friendship. Because cherry blossom or SAKURA in Japanese symbolizes the spring. Since SAKURA has been loved by Japanese people very much over the centuries, SAKURA gave strong influence in culture and our lives and means something very special to us. I thus look forward to enjoying the cherry blossoms in several places in Tirana soon.

Even though Japan and Albania are geographically so far away, I have already experienced that our hearts are close through the warm hospitality and positive perception. I am also very impressed with the high interest in Japanese culture and our society by the Albanian people. Our traditional sports like Judo and Karate have been well received and practiced in Albania already for decades, for which I am also grateful.

I look forward to visiting many places in this beautiful country as much as possible and meeting with our Albanian friends as many as possible. By doing so I will convey the current picture of Japan in an appropriate manner, deepen our relations, mutual understanding and make Japan’s presence in Albania more visible.