Japan-Netherlands conference
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Mr Shibuya, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure for me to speak to you at this conference at this special venue in The Hague. This is where the Permanent Court of Arbitration and the International Court of Justice sit. The Vredespaleis, or Peace Palace, is thus a symbol of the international administration of justice and of cooperation. It was built at the beginning of last century at a time when belief in international cooperation was gaining strength. This was the time leading up to the establishment of the League of Nations and later the United Nations. Both Japan and the Netherlands were involved from the outset. I cannot imagine a more fitting venue for this conference about four centuries of fruitful cooperation between Japan and the Netherlands.
One interesting point is that this building houses an exceptional collection of carpets presented by Japan. There is also a lovely wooden ceiling that was made in Japan. When it arrived, it fitted exactly, down to the last millimetre – an example of magnificent craftsmanship!
Today, in this place, we are paying tribute to the history Japan and the Netherlands share. I am pleased to have the opportunity to reflect on this history. In the first place because it is exactly four hundred years ago that the Japanese and the Dutch signed their first trade agreement.
The basis of that agreement was an unexpected event. On 19 April 1600, the ship De Liefde dropped anchor off the island of Kyushu with a weak and ill crew, seeking help. And they received that help. Years later – things moved slowly in those days – the Dutch East India Company thanked the shogun for the assistance he had provided. It was from this contact that trade relations with Japan arose. In the beginning, this trade took place from the small, artificial island of Deshima, a tiny piece of the Netherlands in the Bay of Nagasaki. Your Holland Village is a permanent reminder of this.
I have a second reason for looking back at our history: from our common past we can gain courage to face the future.
We are living in turbulent times. An economic storm is battering the world, blowing away companies and institutions that we thought could never fall. This storm has not left either of our countries untouched. We too are experiencing hard times. And that is precisely why it is good to take the time to look back on how sound the centuries-old cooperation between the Dutch and Japanese is. An interaction that has had a positive impact on both our countries. And in these uncertain times we need that positive impact more than ever.
The Japanese and Dutch are very different in many ways. We have different cultures and completely different backgrounds. But we should be aware that we also have a great deal in common. This was already apparent four hundred years ago. Other seafaring European nations were trading with Japan at that time, but they began to interfere more and more with domestic issues. For this reason, Japan broke off relations with them and turned to the Dutch. I suspect that back then we already recognized one another as kindred trading spirits. We wanted to do business, we wanted to trade and to treat each other with mutual respect and trust.
Trade is something our countries are skilled in. Japan and the Netherlands are in the top-10 countries worldwide in terms of the importing and exporting of goods. We both are global leaders in patent applications, which means that we invest a lot of energy and resources in research and development.
So, Ladies and Gentlemen,
we are enterprising and innovative. We can be proud of our success. Success is difficult to achieve. But success is even more difficult to maintain.
Certainly in such times as these, in which so many factors that are beyond our immediate and direct control seem to be working against the prosperity we have built up over the centuries.
We cannot always control everything. The storm will have to play itself out. But we do not have to wait in suffering until the storm passes. We can arm ourselves against it as best we can. The reflex action in a storm is to secure your home as far as possible against the outside world. But the traditional wisdom of the countryside tells us that it can sometimes be sensible to open your windows a crack, so that they do not shatter from the force of the wind outside.
And this is exactly the sensible action our countries are taking, definitely in the areas of aviation and shipping.
These sectors form the foundations of our prosperity.
They determine the strength of our economies.
They make us both attractive business partners and excellent bases for international companies.
Japan and the Netherlands have a long tradition of cooperation in shipping and aviation. The first aviation agreement between our countries was signed over half a century ago, also here in The Hague, on 17 February 1953 to be precise. In 1992 a significant further step was taken, resulting in the number of passengers between Japan and the Netherlands growing to around 600 thousand a year. Today, KLM and JAL fly to Tokyo every day and KLM also flies daily to Osaka. NCA flies cargo between Nagoya and Schiphol on a weekly basis.
Aviation has changed dramatically over the past fifty years. In addition to bilateral contacts between governments, the role of the European Union has gradually become more dominant. The market is slowly becoming more liberal. Trading nations like ours, for which global links are essential, can both profit from the liberalisation of air space.
Just like me, you will therefore undoubtedly be pleased about the constructive discussions that Mr Tajani, Vice President of the European Commission, had this month with Mr Kaneko, your Transport Minister.
We recently strengthened our aviation relations further. Last week consultations took place between our aviation authorities. It was agreed that flight frequencies between Amsterdam and Tokyo would be increased, resulting in more commercial opportunities.
This is of course a wonderful starting point for the future. The past has taught us that open borders – in the air as well – offer the best opportunities for prosperity. That is why the Netherlands remains totally committed to more freedom in the air and to fair competition based on a level playing field.
The same naturally applies to shipping. With our open economies, both Japan and the Netherlands can profit from the new United Nations UNCITRAL convention on contracts for the international carriage of goods by sea. This convention will be of benefit to the further development of international trade and transport.
It is precisely in unstable economic times like these that it is important to remove obstacles that hinder the carriage of goods wherever possible. The Japanese delegation, just like the Dutch, therefore contributed very actively to this convention that offers guarantees for a level playing field. You can probably imagine that I am proud that in September this year the signing will take place here in the Netherlands – in Rotterdam. From that time on, the Rotterdam Rules will apply globally to all transport by sea.
This has concrete benefits for all of us. We are strengthening the contractual liability and reliability of international transport by sea. Moreover, and I find this a very interesting aspect that involves many opportunities, the new UN convention makes a significant contribution to global electronic trade.
This new convention makes international trade and transport simpler and more reliable. It is a good thing for countries like ours, but it also offers opportunities for countries that are positioned less highly on the world rankings. The Rotterdam Rules will thus promote a better economic infrastructure. And that completes the circle. If the current economic crisis has taught us one thing, it is that we cannot withdraw from conforming to the laws of the global economy. And that alone is reason enough to open the door and let the world in.
I consider this meeting today as a lead-up to my working visit to Japan in October this year. I am very much looking forward to seeing with my own eyes Japan’s innovations in the areas of ports and shipping, aviation, vehicle technology, traffic management and infrastructure.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
During that upcoming visit we will also recognize many familiar traits in one another in the fields of trade and innovation.
We have a common history that stretches back four centuries.
In the past, we have proved that we work excellently together.
We have always been able to do business with a lot of respect for one another.
It is my wish to continue together along the long road that we first stepped onto four hundred years ago.