Hosts of events to mark Sri Lanka - Japan ties

Ridma Dissanayake

The Japanese Embassy has organized a number of commemorative events to mark the 60th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between Japan and Sri Lanka.

Among the events are a blood donation, Kyoto cultural exhibition, film festival, Bunka awards and publishing a commemorative book to mark this special occasion. "During the past six decades, the relationship between Japan and Sri Lanka has extended in all fields. Being a true friend of Sri Lanka, Japan has been instrumental in Sri Lanka's development and improvement of the socio-economic infrastructure," Japanese ambassador Nobuhito Hobo said.

"Japan and Sri Lanka established ties in 1952 and we have nurtured a long standing relationship dating back to many centuries. In the past 60 years, Japan and Sri Lanka have maintained the bonds of friendship on a firm foundation. The assistance provided by the Sri Lankan government and the public when Japan was affected by the tsunami in 2011, shows the bond between the two countries," the ambassador said.