On 26 November 2024, a solemn “Concert to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution in former Czechoslovakia” took place at the premises of the Delegation of the European Union in Tokyo. The event was opened by a speech delivered by the Ambassador of the European Union to Japan, Mr. Jean-Eric Paquet. Then, the Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Japan, Mr. Martin Klučar, together with the Ambassador of the Slovak Republic to Japan, Mr. Ivan Surkoš, continued with a joint speech in which they commemorated a significant moment in the history of both countries. During the concert, pieces of composers George Frideric Handel and Antonín Dvořák were performed by cellists Mr. Ľudovít Kanta and Mr. Eugen Prochác, accompanied by Mr. Toshihiko Nakamura on piano.

Concert celebrating the 35th Anniversary of the Velvet Revolution in Tokyo.

In November 1989, what was initially a peaceful demonstration soon turned into a demonstration for freedom, democracy and political reform. Hundreds of thousands of people took part in the demonstration on Národní třída in Prague, defying the communist regime and one-party rule. The protests during the 1989 Velvet Revolution eventually led to the fall of the communist regime and the subsequent free elections in Czechoslovakia in 1990. The people's desire for freedom, civic courage and determination helped the then Czechoslovakia to emerge from the lack of freedom and become one of the free democracies of Europe and the world.

Later, November 17 was declared a memorable "Day of Struggle for Freedom and Democracy" and has been celebrated as a national holiday in the Czech Republic ever since.