Celebrate the 160th anniversary of friendship together

On 6 February 2024, a reception to celebrate the 160th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Switzerland and Japan was held at the Ambassador’s residence, with 300 attendees, including the State Ministers, CEOs of Switzerland-Japan's business partners and members of the Swiss community.

In his address at the ceremony, Swiss Ambassador Andreas Baum gave opening speeches that the Treaty of Amity and Commerce was signed 160 years ago, on 6 February, by the Tokugawa Shogunate and a Swiss Government delegation led by Aime Humbert-Droz, President of the Swiss Watchmakers Association, and that this celebration was an evening dedicated to watchmaking technology, which was the foundation of the friendship between the two countries.

The exhibition included a panel display on "Imagine Switzerland", produced by the Federation of Swiss Watch Industry FH, Tokyo, and two pocket watches that had been "returned home" from the headquarters of Girard-Perregaux especially for the occasion. The exhibition looked back on the relationship between the two countries with a focus on watches, and visitors were able to experience Swiss watchmaking technology at the workbench, where they could digitally assemble movements.

Guest also enjoyed musical performance by Swiss and Japanese yodelers, and that were served raclette by Roboclette. It was a memorial evening celebrated 160 years of friendship between the two countries and raised hopes for the expansion of exchange into the future.

February 08, 2024