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INSTITUTE OF DIPLOMACY AND FOREIGN RELATIONS INSTITUTE OF DIPLOMACY AND FOREIGN RELATIONS
MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, MALAYSIA MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, MALAYSIA

The year 2021 marked 40 years of bilateral relations
Cultural Diplomacy Lecture Series between Malaysia and Japan, and he highlighted that
the people-to-people exchange between the two nations
On 19 November 2021, HE Ambassador Oka Hiroshi, was close-knit, where various opportunities to work
the then Ambassador of Japan to Malaysia, delivered a together have hugely benefited both countries.
lecture titled Discovering the Influences from the Land
of Inventions and Serenity. The Japanese ambassador is The lecture, which was conducted in a hybrid mode,
the first ambassador from the foreign missions in Kuala recorded 30 participants attending physically and 50
Lumpur to be invited to speak at the lecture series. virtually.

Ambassador Hiroshi defined cultural diplomacy as Royal Address 2021
a type of public diplomacy or soft power that wins
the hearts of others. He also stated that it is through His Royal Highness (HRH) Sultan Dr Nazrin Muizzuddin
culture, including arts and language, that we can foster Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah
mutual understanding. The ambassador then shared Al-Maghfur-Lah, the Sultan of Perak Darul Ridzuan and
that Japan’s image had sparked worldwide interest in the Royal Patron of IDFR, consented to deliver the Royal
its evolving culture, which the top three being Japanese Address on 18 November 2021.
food, the people’s lifestyle, and its anime industry.
With the theme Shaping a New Generation of Malaysian
His Excellency also added that “culture, generally, is Diplomats, the Address saw the attendance of 120
defined as the mirror of the society, which embodies guests at IDFR’s auditorium and approximately 220
the current society’s traditions, values, and lifestyle,” guests via the online platform. The guests include
and when the culture is further described broadly and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other
experienced by others, it will be considered useful. government agencies, dignitaries from the state of
The ambassador also spoke about the Look East Perak, selected representatives from the diplomatic
Policy, Ambang Asuhan Jepun, Japan International Missions, former ambassadors, members of think
Cooperation Agency in Malaysia, Japan-East Asia tanks, and IDFR course participants. The event was also
Network of Exchange for Students and Youths, and honoured by the attendance of Dato’ Albert Talalla, the
Japan Foundation Kuala Lumpur, which are among the institute’s first Director-General.
many initiatives that offer language, arts, and culture
exchanges and intellectual exchanges to Malaysians. The event commenced with Welcoming Remarks by
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dato’ Saifuddin Abdullah
who addressed, among others, the need for diplomats
to be digital diplomats, and for IDFR to play its role in
equipping diplomats with the right skills and knowledge,
as they are the country’s valuable assets.

In his Address, HRH Sultan Nazrin stressed the fact that
being the new generation of diplomats requires each
one of them to be historians, scientists, communicators,
and bureaucrats. Understanding history is the most
vital aspect as it provides a background as to how the

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2021 ANNUAL REPORT 2021 ANNUAL REPORT