It is a great honor to be invited to this reception celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Deutsche Bundesbank in Tokyo. I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to Dr. Dombret, Executive Board Member of the Bundesbank, Ms. Moede, Representative of the Tokyo office, and other staff members of the Bundesbank.
Throughout these 30 years, the Bundesbank has positioned its Tokyo office as the hub for its activities in Asia, and has shown its strong commitment to Japan. I would like to highlight in particular, the expansion of the functions of the Tokyo office with the establishment of a trading office in 2012, just one year after the tragic Great East Japan Earthquake.