Tadashi Nagai became honorary citizen of Belgrade

(Tadashi Nagai and Dragan Djilas)

Former Japanese Ambassador to Serbia Tadashi Nagai was presented with Belgrade's most prestigious award - the title of honorary citizen. The award was presented by Belgrade Mayor Dragan Djilas and City Council Chairman Aleksandar Antic. The ceremony at the City Hall was attended by Culture Minister Nebojsa Bradic, Education Minister Zeljko Obradovic, Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration and Minister of Science Bozidar Djelic, members of the diplomatic corps and the Serbian Orthodox Church, and public figures.

Mayor Djilas reminded that the title of honorary citizen of Belgrade had also been presented to Miguel Angel Moratino, the Minister of Exterior of the Kingdom of Spain, nine months earlier, and added that that award was again presented to another big friend of Belgrade and Serbia.

– Presenting of the "Honorary Citizen of Belgrade" award to His Excellence Tadashi Nagai is a great victory of justice over politics, truth over malicious joy, and a triumph of humanity over victimization. No one else in recent history showed as much good will, offering us a hand of friendship on behalf of the whole nation. This great friend of Serbia spent 16 years in our city. When I became the Mayor of Belgrade and learned about the initiative that Mr. Nagai be presented with the most significant award of the city, I supported it with all my heart and worked on making that happen because, in my opinion, it is the only way for Belgrade and its residents to thank Nagai for everything he did in the decade and a half he worked in the city – said Mayor Dragan Djilas.

Since 2000, the Japanese people and government have sent EUR 198m in aid to Serbia, including the write-off of EUR 84m in debt. The City of Belgrade received EUR 30m in donations from the Japanese government, EUR 27m of which went to city institutions and EUR 3m to state institutions.

Accepting the award, Tadashi Nagai said that the recognition belonged to all Japanese people and the associates of the Japanese Embassy to Belgrade.

- I was lucky to work in Serbia at the right time and I am sure that any other ambassador of Japan would have behaved the same. I came to Belgrade for the first time 42 years ago, I had four mandates, and many things happened on this territory during all that time. I remember that our embassy was also open during the NATO bombing in 1999. I want to thank to all those who nominated me for this award - said Tadashi Nagai who also gave two of his photos of Belgrade to the city as a gift.

Current Japanese Ambassador to Serbia Toshio Tsunozaki congratulated his colleague and also Belgrade city officials for making Nagai the first Japanese citizen to become an honorary citizen of Belgrade. He said that the event would contribute to development of friendly relations between Serbia and Japan and pointed out that his duty was to keep helping Serbia and Belgrade.

Ambasada Japana Beograd

Grad Beograd

Vlada Republike Srbije

Ministarstvo kulture Republike Srbije

Ministarstvo prosvete Republike Srbije

Vlada Japana

Tadashi Nagai

Dragan Djilas

Embassy of Japan to Belgrade

city of Belgrade

Aleksandar Antic

Government of Serbia

Bozidar Djelic

Ministry of Culture

Nebojsa Bradic

Ministry of Justice

Zarko Obradovic

Toshio Tsunozaki

Miguel Angel Moratino

Government of Japan