Japanese Delegation Visits the Museum

On Sunday, 9 July, members of the Japan – Latvia Parliamentary Friendship Association and the Japanese Ambassador to Latvia, H. E. Yasushi Takase, visited the Museum.

Relations between Latvia and Japan date back to 1919. Japan was one of the first countries to recognize Latvia de facto on 10 January 1919 and de iure on 26 January 1921. After Latvia regained its independence, Japan recognized the Republic of Latvia on 5 September 1991, and on 10 October restored bilateral relations with Latvia.

While showing the new exposition our guide focused on objects preserved during the occupations and demonstrate the close friendship between the two countries. Some examples:

A poem. In September 1946, at a filtration camp in Urgale of the Amur Region (in the Far East of the USSR) a Japanese prisoner of war, Ozare Arumi, gave the poem to Alberts Ante (1921) who had served as a German Air Force Auxiliary.

A coin given to Leons Hibners in a filtration camp in the Far East in early 1946 by a Japanese prisoner of war.

Japanese fortune dolls (kokes) were received as a gift from someone in a Japanese POW camp in Rudniki (Kazakhstan) by Alfrēds Liepa (1923), who had served in the German Army.