Speaker of the Seimas meets with women leaders and pays tribute to Chiune Sugihara on the first day of her visit in Tokyo

Press release, 26 October 2023 

The visit of Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Speaker of the Seimas, in Tokyo, Japan, opened with a meeting with women leaders dedicated to marking the first anniversary of the announcement of the strategic partnership between Lithuania and Japan.

‘The Lithuania-Japan strategic partnership has created a new momentum for bilateral relations and towards new opportunities for cooperation. Today was a good opportunity to discuss women’s leadership and influence in key domains of the state, such as the economy, science, cultural ties, national security, and Lithuania’s achievements,’ Ms Čmilytė-Nielsen said.

Photo by Olga Posaškova, Office of the Seimas

Later, the Speaker of the Seimas visited Waseda University Campus for a flower laying ceremony at the memorial to Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat. While working in Lithuania during World War II, Sugihara helped save thousands of Jews.

Ms Čmilytė-Nielsen also visited the Mori Art Museum, one of the most influential institutions of contemporary art in Japan and Asia. At the Museum’s 20th Anniversary Exhibition titled Our Ecology: Toward a Planetary Living, the Speaker of the Seimas observed a video installation called Arrow of Time by Emilija Škarnulytė, a Lithuanian artist.

Moreover, today the Speaker of the Seimas has done an interview with the Japanese national media.

Tomorrow’s agenda of the visit includes meetings with Hiroyuki Nagahama, Vice-President of the House of Councillors; Fukushiro Nukaga, the newly elected Speaker of the House of Representatives; Hirofumi Nakasone, Chairman of the Japan-Lithuania Parliamentary Friendship Group; and other parliamentarians. The Speaker of the Seimas will also open Lithuania NOW, the largest Lithuanian cultural event of the year in Japan.

Photos by Olga Posaškova, Office of the Seimas

Ilona Petrovė, Spokesperson for Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Speaker of the Seimas, tel. +370 5 239 6030, mob. +370 698 42071, e-mail: [email protected], www.lrs.lt