Events
Political and Economic Stability and Continued Efforts for Structural Reforms
— Japan and Spain have an exchange history of over 400 years. How do you see the development of Spain-Japan relations?
It was in 1549, when Francisco Xavier arrived in Japan for his missionary work in Kagoshima, that the exchange between the two countries began. Then in 1609, a Spanish ship on its way from Philippines to Mexico, the “San Francisco”, became stranded off the coast of Onjuku, and the about 300 sailors were rescued by the people of the coastal village. Then, the Keicho Mission was sent to Spain and met with King Felipe III in 1613. And Japan and Spain formally initiated the diplomatic relations in 1868 when the Japan-Spain Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation wassigned. The bilateral relationship has grown stronger over 400 years, and has developed into a strong partnership to foster collaboration in political, economic, cultural and many other areas.
— As Spanish Ambassador to Japan, what is your priority mission for further strengthening the bilateral ties? Spain and Japan will mark 150 years of diplomatic relations in 2018. What kind of celebratory events are you planning in Japan?
In 2013, the Japanese Prime Minister Abe and the Spanish Prime Minister Rajoy issued a statement, “Partnership for Peace, Growth and Innovation”, which clarifies the guidelines for deepening the bilateral relations in the priority areas of politics, economy, science, as well as cultural and people-to-people relations. The two countries jointly tackle global issues by promoting the fundamental values and principles such as the rule of law, democracy, human rights, and free market economy. Our economic relationship has expanded, and the total volume of trade between Japan and Spain reached 7.2 billion dollars in 2016. Another priority is tourism promotion, and as many as about 600,000 Japanese tourists visited Spain and about 100,000 Spanish tourists visited Japan in the same year. Iberia’s new nonstop flights between Tokyo and Madrid are contributing to these great numbers. To celebrate 150 years of diplomatic relations, more than 20 commemorative programs such as the Prado Museum exhibition, flamenco dance performances, and concerts are scheduled for 2018.
— Would you tell us the recent political and economic situation in Spain?
Spain experienced an economic crisis from 2008, as a part of the global recession. In 2012 when the economic condition was most severe, Prime Minister Rajoy´s administration started the huge fiscal consolidation and structural reforms which helped the economy turn around. The unemployment rate has decreased from 27% to 17%, and the number of employed persons increased by 500,000 annually in the past 3 years. The real GDP growth rate was 3.2% in 2016, and is forecasted to be 3.1% in 2017. For the last 2 years, Spain has created the largest number of jobs among the EU countries. Although we still have the unemployment issue, the dissatisfaction of the public has eased due to the economic recovery. We have made progress in the structural reforms including reorganization of financial institutions, labor market reforms, and educational reforms; and the public deficit-to-GDP ratio has decreased from 10% to 3.5%. Now we enjoy political stability while the second-term non-majority Rajoy administration is maintaining its policy course from the first term and making efforts to continue with the reforms, with the cooperation of the smaller parties.
— What is Ambassador’s view about the impact of Brexit on Spain?
It will depend on how the exit negotiation goes between the UK and the EU, but we hope that the rights of the Spanish people in the UK and the British people in Spain will be respected. The UK-EU relations were built over the 44 years since 1973, and it is a difficult challenge to reconstruct it in the next two years. We are hoping that the UK and the EU will conduct orderly and transparent exit negotiations. Our biggest concern is about the trade and economic relations. The UK is one of Spain’s important partners. We are concerned about what types of regulations will affect Spain’s businesses. We are also keeping a close eye on the future of Gibraltar’s border with Spain. Although Gibraltar became a British possession in the 18th century, the territorial right is still under dispute between the UK and Spain. We are calling for its return based on the argument that “There should be no colony among members of EU countries in the 21st century.” We are hoping for new rules that will not affect the normal life of the residents of Gibraltar.
— Why does Catalonia want independence from Spain?
Not all Catalans want independence. After 40 years of General Franco´s dictatorship, Spain established a Constitution and returned to a full democratic regime in 1978. The Constitution recognizes the competences of the “autonomous regions”. The aspiration for expanded autonomy has always been there in Catalonia. The regional Government runs its own police and exercises its powers in health and education. And it is essentially demanding the financial authority to spend all of its tax revenue in Catalonia, without having to share it with other regions. However, the Constitution requires solidarity among regions, and rich regions must share with the rest of the country. The aspiration for more autonomy has turned recently into the desire for independence. The region of Catalonia held a referendum in October and many voted for independence. However the politicians did not sufficiently explain all the negative consequences that would follow if Catalonia gained independence from Spain. The Spanish judiciary established that the referendum was illegal, against the Constitution, the European Union regulations and the international law. It would impact very negatively on the citizens and residents in Catalonia. Independence has not a majority support. Furthermore, there is large concern that this kind of movement might spread to other regions in Europe.
(Interview by Shu Tamaru, FEC Counsellor)