The Ambassador spoke with Mayor Nobutada Kuroiwa about further deepening trade and economic cooperation between Japanese and Czech regions, both discussed also the upcoming 100th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and the Czech Republic. They also mentioned the interest in strengthening people-to-people contacts, in particular between experts of spas, artists and so on.

Mr. Kuroiwa, the mayor of one of the most important Japanese spa towns, has described twenty years of cooperation with the city of Karlovy Vary. He recalled that he had the opportunity to visit Karlovy Vary several times as a member of the Kusatsu city delegation and expressed his wish to continue this tradition in the future.
The Ambassador expressed the mayor's interest in Karlovy Vary for further cooperation, mentioned the international fame of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and subsequently praised the mayor of Kuroiwa's long-term commitment to linking spa with art and the related interest of Kusatsu in Czech classical music performers. He recalled that this year the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Tokyo again gave its auspice to the Kusatsu International Summer Music Academy & Festival, whose tradition dates back to 1980.

Návštěva do Kusatsu_pan starosta Kuroiwa

This year's 40th anniversary of the festival, which is visited by the Empress Michiko every year for decades, was also attended by the world-famous and extremely popular Czech string ensemble - the Panocha Quartet. During his visit to the city, the Ambassador, accompanied by the director of the international music festival, had the opportunity to listen to performances by Czech artists who presented four works by the Austrian composer Franz Schubert to the Japanese audience.

Návštěva do Kusatsu_Panochovo kvarteto