Irish Ambassador to Japan Holds Lecture at TUFS

January 29, 2018

On Monday the 11 ^th of December, the Ambassador of the Embassy of Ireland in Japan, her Excellency Ms. Anne Barrington, visited TUFS and gave a lecture titled 'An Evening to Talk with the Irish Ambassador.'

This event was held as part of the 60 ^th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between Japan and Ireland, and also as part of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's 2016 Initiative for Realizing Diversity in the Research Environment, Funds for the Development of Human Resources in Science and Technology. Before the lecture, the ambassador visited the President's Office and met with TUFS President Hirotaka Tateishi, Vice President Minoru Iwasaki, and Professor Chikako Tsuruta (Institute of Global Studies, Interpreting & Translation Studies).

In her lecture, as well as introducing the history, culture and charm of Ireland, Ambassador Barrington compared and discussed gender equality in the Irish and Japanese political and economic fields, and Japan-Ireland relations that occur in the culture and diplomatic fields.

At the question-and-answer session following the lecture, students actively asked questions about young people's attitudes towards participation in politics and diplomatic issues, and on the hot topic of EU relations, in an 'at-home' environment. Furthermore, many questions were asked on Ms. Barrington's experiences working as a female diplomat and ambassador, and how this has affected relations with family members. Students were able to hear Ms. Barrington's experiences and opinions firsthand, making the lecture a valuable opportunity for students to think about their own future careers.