There are a number of stories related to the Germany-Japan relationship that every Japanese citizen knows. For example, in the early nineteenth century during the Edo period, at the time of Japan’s self-imposed isolationist policy, a German medical doctor, Philipp Franz von Siebold, opened a school called Narutaki-juku near Dejima in Nagasaki, for Japanese people to learn Western medicine.
Large parts of modern Japanese law, including the civil code, are based on German law. And, as a central banker, I must of course remind you of the great contribution made by Germany to banknotes in Japan. Today, Japan possesses the most advanced anti-counterfeit technology for banknotes. However, when the first notes were printed, Japan learned its printing techniques mostly from Germany.