Farewell and Welcome Reception for the Deputy Heads of Mission
2024/10/31
On October 31, 2024, Ambassador Kanji Yamanouchi hosted a farewell and welcome reception for the deputy heads of mission of the Embassy of Japan in Canada.
The reception was attended by many dignitaries, including Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen, Co-Chair of the Canada-Japan Inter-Parliamentary Group Senator Stan Kutcher, Chair of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry Senator Robert Black, Chair of the Standing Committee on Human Rights Senator Salma Ataullahjan, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport MP Vance Badawey, Shadow Minister for Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard MP Clifford Small and Shadow Minister for Addictions MP Laila Goodridge, as well as Senior Policy Advisor for Prime Minister's Office Oz Jungic and Assistant Deputy Minister (Indo-Pacific) of Global Affairs Canada Weldon Epp. Attendees also included deputy heads of diplomatic missions, as well as representatives from Ottawa Japanese Community Association, academia, business and media, totaling approximately 85 people.
In his opening remarks, Ambassador Yamanouchi praised the diplomatic activities of outgoing Deputy Head of Mission Tokuro Furuya for his three years tenure in Canada, and expressed his expectations for new diplomatic activities to be carried out by new Deputy Head of Mission Kouhei Maruyama. In response, outgoing Deputy Head of Mission Furuya and new Deputy Head of Mission Maruyama gave greetings on the occasion of their leaving and arrival respectively. After that, Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen, Senator Stan Kutcher, and Senior Policy Advisor for Prime Minister's Office Oz Jungic gave their greetings as guests, and Assistant Deputy Minister (Indo-Pacific) Weldon Epp gave a toast.
Toward the end of the reception, the participants sang along to the piano accompaniment of Ambassador Yamanouchi, adding a festive touch to the reception. It was also a meaningful opportunity for Mr. Maruyama to be able to take over the positive working relationships that Mr. Furuya had developed with the guests during his tenure as Deputy Head of Mission.
The reception was attended by many dignitaries, including Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen, Co-Chair of the Canada-Japan Inter-Parliamentary Group Senator Stan Kutcher, Chair of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry Senator Robert Black, Chair of the Standing Committee on Human Rights Senator Salma Ataullahjan, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport MP Vance Badawey, Shadow Minister for Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard MP Clifford Small and Shadow Minister for Addictions MP Laila Goodridge, as well as Senior Policy Advisor for Prime Minister's Office Oz Jungic and Assistant Deputy Minister (Indo-Pacific) of Global Affairs Canada Weldon Epp. Attendees also included deputy heads of diplomatic missions, as well as representatives from Ottawa Japanese Community Association, academia, business and media, totaling approximately 85 people.
In his opening remarks, Ambassador Yamanouchi praised the diplomatic activities of outgoing Deputy Head of Mission Tokuro Furuya for his three years tenure in Canada, and expressed his expectations for new diplomatic activities to be carried out by new Deputy Head of Mission Kouhei Maruyama. In response, outgoing Deputy Head of Mission Furuya and new Deputy Head of Mission Maruyama gave greetings on the occasion of their leaving and arrival respectively. After that, Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen, Senator Stan Kutcher, and Senior Policy Advisor for Prime Minister's Office Oz Jungic gave their greetings as guests, and Assistant Deputy Minister (Indo-Pacific) Weldon Epp gave a toast.
Toward the end of the reception, the participants sang along to the piano accompaniment of Ambassador Yamanouchi, adding a festive touch to the reception. It was also a meaningful opportunity for Mr. Maruyama to be able to take over the positive working relationships that Mr. Furuya had developed with the guests during his tenure as Deputy Head of Mission.
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| Welcome remarks by Ambassador Yamanouchi |
Remarks by Tokuro Furuya, Outgoing Deputy Head of Mission |
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| Remarks by Kouhei Maruyama, New Deputy Head of Mission |
Remarks by Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen |
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| Remarks by Senator Stan Kutcher |
Remarks by Senior Policy Advisor for PM's Office Oz Jungic |
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| Toast by Assistant Deputy Minister Weldon Epp |
Ambassador Yamanouchi, Minister Hussen, DHMs Furuya and Maruyama |
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| Chorus from the Ambassador's piano accompaniment | |