to commemorate the 70 th death anniversary of Phan Boi Chau - the
initiator of Vietnam’s Dong Du (Visit the East) Movement, and the 100 th
death anniversary of Asaba Sakitaro, a local supporter of the
Vietnamese revolutionaries.
Present at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Nguyen Phu Binh
recalled that a century ago in response to Phan Boi Chau-initiated Dong
Du movement, hundreds of Vietnamese students went to study in Japan in
hope that they could help reform the country at their return.
These
pioneers met with a lot of difficulties in Japan , however, they
got whole-hearted assistance from Asaba Sakitaro, a medical doctor as
well as people in Fukuroi, the ambassador remembered.
Although
the Dong Du movement failed and those students had to go home, what
doctor Asaba and Fukuroi residents had done for Chau and his followers
remain forever in the Vietnamese people’s hearts, the diplomat stressed.
“Over
more than 100 years, the world as well as Vietnam and Japan have
seen many changes. The two countries have become each other’s strategic
partner and their relationship has never been as good as it is now,”
Binh said.
He expressed his gratitude to Fukuroi residents for
caring for doctor Asaba’s tomb and the stele in memory of doctor Asaba
that Phan Boi Chau erected in the compound of Jorin Umeyama pagoda
during his visit to Japan in 1918.
The diplomat also
expressed his hope that Fukuroi will increase its exchange of activities
with the central city of Hue and other localities in Vietnam .
Fukuroi
Mayor Hideyuki Harada affirmed that by organising this event, his city
wants to boost its ties with Vietnam and said he hoped the
Japan-Vietnam ties will continue to develop in the coming time.
During
the event, the participants heard Professor Shiraishi Masaya from the
Waseda University ( Tokyo ) presenting his research on history of
the Dong Du movement and its supporters in the early 20 th century./.
