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On September 14, DPJ Policy Research Committee Chair Seiji Maehara met with a bipartisan delegation of German parliamentarians belonging to the German-Japanese parliamentarians’ league, led by Dr. Rolf Mützenich, at a location inside the Diet. The meeting was attended by Policy Research Committee Vice Chair Junya Ogawa, who also serves as Secretary-General of the Japanese-German parliamentarians’ league.
At the start of the meeting, Maehara welcomed the delegation to Japan, and said that the friendly relations between the two nations had been deepened by the various commemorative events that had been taking place since last year as part of the celebrations for 150 years of friendship between Japan and Germany. He also expressed his gratitude for the support, both physical and mental, received from the German government and people in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11.
Mützenich explained that the delegation had just returned from a visit to the disaster-affected areas, and said, “On behalf of the German people, I would like to express my condolences to the DPJ and to the people of Japan.” He said that the delegation’s visit on this occasion was intended to demonstrate that Japan was a safe place to visit, as well as to further strengthen the close bilateral relationship between Japan and Germany.
The two sides engaged in a lively discussion regarding disaster reconstruction and foreign policy issues, and the meeting ended in a friendly mood.
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