interview Setsuko Kawahara, Consul General of Japan, Düsseldorf

Portrait Consul General of Japan Setsuko Kawahara ©Japanisches Generalkonsulat

Setsuko Kawahara, Consul General of Japan: "The city of Dusseldorf has a special meaning and importance for Japan-German relationship, as the city has the third largest Japanese community in Europe, following London and Paris."

The third-largest Japanese community in Europe lives in Düsseldorf, the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia, after London and Paris. It is a long-standing and cherished friendship that is firmly anchored in the hearts of Düsseldorfers. Düsseldorf residents grow up with Japanese culture. It is also a very important economic factor, because since a major Japanese trading company decided to open a branch in Düsseldorf in 1955, many important Japanese companies have followed suit.

The German Porcelain Museum Hetjens, located in Düsseldorf's old town, honours the Japanese friendship with one of the most beautiful exhibitions of recent years. The focus is on Japanese art of the 19th century, with many objects such as priceless porcelain objects and precious kimonos coming from the Hildegard and Wilhelm Preker Collection.

Setsuko Kawahara took up the post of Japanese Consul General in Düsseldorf at the end of September. Alethea Magazine has the honour of reproducing an interview with Consul General Kawahara below. Incidentally, the exhibition Gold und 1.000 Farben – Kunstgewerbe aus Japan (Gold and 1,000 Colours - Decorative Arts) from Japan can be seen at the Hetjens-Museum until 26 February 2023.

22 December 2022

Interview Directory

DÜSSELDORF

Name: Setsuko Kawahara, Consul General of Japan.

She studied in Heidelberg from 1987 and has already served as Japanese Consul General in Frankfurt from February 2019 to April 2021.

Düsseldorf:

"It is well known that the way of cultural expression in Japan fascinated the people in Europe in 19th century and led to a famous trend of “Japonism.”

You have just opened the exhibition at Hetjens-Museum, Gold und 1.000 Farben – Kunstgewerbe aus Japan. How do you feel that the Hetjens-Museum values your culture so much?

Consul General of Japan Setsuko Kawahara: It was truly fascinating to visit such a remarkable special exhibition in the Hetjens-Museum directly after my taking up the position as Consul-General of Japan in Dusseldorf. The most impressive thing for me is the fact that so many old objects with extremely fine decorations were preserved intact for hundreds years. I believe that it is a clear sign that buyers and owners of these object truly understood the preciousness and cultural value of them. They must have been impressed by the high quality of artisanship in Japan.

Which objects did you personally like?

Consul General of Japan Setsuko Kawahara: There were so many beautiful and charming objects, and it is not easy to choose one or two from them. What I found very interesting is a comparison between a beautifully painted Japanese dish and a dish, which looks similar to it but is actually made in Limoges, France. It is well known that the way of cultural expression in Japan fascinated the people in Europe in 19th century and led to a famous trend of “Japonism.” I found that the dish is a very good example of the cultural exchanges between Japan and Europe at the time.

Can you tell us something about the special relationship between Japan and Düsseldorf and how you think it will develop?

Consul General of Japan Setsuko Kawahara: The city of Dusseldorf has a special meaning and importance for Japan-German relationship, as the city has the third largest Japanese community in Europe, following London and Paris. I learned that the history goes back to 19５5, when a big Japanese trade company decided to establish its branch office in Dusseldorf as European Central Office. I believe that there were many considerations for that decision. They would include good access to highways (“Autobahn”), airports and ports as well as its central location in Western Europe. As the business made a great success, many other companies followed. The number of Japanese businesspersons and their family members increased rapidly and social infrastructure such as Japanese school, restaurants, bookstores and clinics were set up one by one. It should be noted that the city of Dusseldorf has been extending enormous support to the development of the Japanese Community. When I walk along the Immermannstrasse, I feel like as if I were in Tokyo. I am very glad that the famous area, so-called “Little Tokyo” is not only for the Japanese Community but has become an essential part of cultural landscape in Dusseldorf. I am sure that this special relationship will develop further based on our traditional friendship.

Consul General of Japan Setsuko Kawahara with Düsseldorf Mayor Dr. Stephan Keller in the Düsseldorfer Rathaus ©Stadt Düsseldorf

"Although they are familiar with Japanese culture through Manga and Anime, they have few chances to have direct contact with Japanese people or understand Japan much deeper."

What would you like to achieve in your position here in the coming years?

Consul General of Japan Setsuko Kawahara: Although Japan has already established close and friendly relationship with Nordrhein-Westphalia, I believe that there are still a lot of room for further development. In particular, I wish to attract attention of the young generation in Germany to Japan. Many young Germans have opportunities to visit neighboring countries such as France and the Netherlands and nurture personal friendship. Although they are familiar with Japanese culture through Manga and Anime, they have few chances to have direct contact with Japanese people or understand Japan much deeper. I believe that it is of utmost importance to establish a trust between the young generations in both countries, and therefore, I wish to do my best to bring Japan closer to young Germans and encourage exchange of young peoples between Japan and Germany.

"I came to an idea that I could be a part of a global endeavor to prevent international conflicts through building mutual trust and friendship, if I become a diplomat."

How did your career in the diplomatic service begin?

Consul General of Japan Setsuko Kawahara: As I was a high school student, I was very much interested in world history, and found out that the world history is the repetition of tragic wars. I was wondering in which way I myself could make a small contribution to prevention of wars and conflicts. After long consideration, I came to an idea that I could be a part of a global endeavor to prevent international conflicts through building mutual trust and friendship, if I become a diplomat. Therefore, friendship and trust between peoples always remain in the center of my heart.

Honorable Consul General, thank you very much for this interview.

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Consul General Setsuko Kawahara took up her post at the Japanese Consulate General in Düsseldorf at the end of September. She studied at the University of Heidelberg some 35 years ago and was then recruited by the Federal Foreign Office. She served as Japanese Consul General in Frankfurt from February 2019 to April 2021 and is now back in Germany after one and a half years.

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Opening evening 19 October 2022 at Hetjens-Museum: From left: Musician Yuko Kojima-Bauer, Dr. Daniela Antonin, Director of the Museum, Deputy Director and Curator of the exhibition, Dr. Wilko Beckmann, Ms Clara Gerlach, Mayor of the State Capital Düsseldorf, Curator Dr. Christina Kallieris, Mrs Setsuko Kawahara, Consul General of Japan in Düsseldorf, and Musician Tomoko Schmidt. ©AM