On 17th September 2021, the Embassy of Japan in Sri Lanka held a Webinar in commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of the San Francisco Peace Conference. Prof. NOGUCHI Yoshinori and Prof. K.D. Paranavitana, two distinguished scholars made keynote addresses at the commemorative seminar.
On 6th September 1951, H.E. J.R. Jayewardene, the then Finance Minister representing the Government of Ceylon, made an eloquent speech at the San Francisco Peace Conference, quoting from Dhammapada;
“Hatred ceases not by hatred, but by love”. With this sacred teaching by the lord Buddha, H.E. Jayewardene expressed strong support for a free and independent Japan, and her reintegration into the international community after World War II. Prof. NOGUCHI, a vice representative of the Cosmos Scholarship, and a former professor of Aoyama Gakuin University, recalled the root of bilateral relations between Japan and Sri Lanka founded upon the compassion and benevolence expressed in the speech of H.E. J. R. Jayewardene. The author of the book on the courage and compassion at the San Francisco Peace Conference, Prof. NOGUCHI also expounded the impact of the speech at the Peace Conference with Japan’s gratefulness, and cordial relations that have been cultivated in the wide ranging areas, emphasizing the importance of the ideal of “co-existence.”
Prof. Paranavitana, a consultant to the J.R. Jayewardene Center and a former Professor at Rajarata University, explained the significance of the San Francisco Peace Conference in relation to the foreign policy of the newly independent Sri Lanka (Ceylon). Prof. Paranavitana also explained the multifaceted post-independence relations between the two countries, with rich interaction between the two peoples. Ambassador SUGIYAMA Akira, in his opening address, illustrated the significance of the San Francisco Peace Conference for post-war Japan, mentioning the spirit of the San Francisco Peace Treaty rest in reconciliation, fairness, and generosity, which was eloquently emphasized by H.E. J. R Jayewardene. While expressing profound gratefulness of the Japanese people, Ambassador SUGIYAMA renewed his firm resolution to further consolidate mutual cooperation and prosperity toward the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Sri Lanka next year.
