Newmai News Network
Kohima: Ambassador of Japan to India, Suzuki Hiroshi has expressed his deepest sympathy and condolences to the people of Nagaland who were caught in the crossfire during the war between Japanese forces and the British Commonwealth Forces eighty years ago. He said this while inaugurating the Kohima Peace Memorial and Eco –Park in Kohima today.
Suzuki Hiroshi said that the people of Nagaland who had nothing to do with the war, inevitably had to go through a great ordeal where many were coerced into cooperation and many people lost their lives and most people were forced to flee from the land of their ancestors. He further added that he was deeply honored to witness the inauguration of the Kohima Peace Memorial and that the monument enabled us to offer our most solemn prayers to all the victims of the battle.
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He expressed his gratitude to the people of Nagaland for their warm welcome and support provided to the Kohima-Japan bone collection team and enabling former soldiers and their families to collect the remains of the fallen soldiers. He further said that the Eco-Park will be developed as part of the Nagaland Forest Management Project with Official Development Assistance (ODA) from the Japanese Government.
In conclusion, he expressed his sincere gratitude to the Chief Minister of Nagaland Neiphiu Rio and also to the people of Nagaland for erecting the peace memorial and hoped that the peace memorial would be a reason for more Japanese people to visit Kohima. “ I am convinced that the friendship originally fostered through the remains collection between Japan and Nagaland will be further strengthened through the construction of the Eco-Park as well as the exchange of young people, and they will become new bridges between India and Japan,” he said.
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Nagaland Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio who also spoke at the inaugural programme said that the event marked an important milestone in the narrative of Naga-Japan partnership which though started under the cloud of conflict had today matured into one for advocating peace and brotherhood of humanity, the message that has been embodied by the Kohima Peace Memorial. He expressed his admiration of Japan for its perseverance and industriousness and how Japan has shown the World what can be achieved through dedication, precision and hard work.
Rio highlighted how Nagaland’s association with Japan had started almost five decades ago through the Japan Association for the recovery and Repatriation of war casualties, an association that continues till date and the association has now matured into bi-lateral cooperation with Japan under which we have two on going Externally Aided Projects in the forestry and medical sectors. Rio further added that the inauguration of the Kohima Peace Memorial and the ceremony of laying foundation stone is the expression of the Naga people’s commitment to forge stronger ties between Japan and Nagaland.
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