In January of this year, I suddenly received an email from the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia.
Dear All
On the occasion of the National Day of the Republic of Serbia
Jarkko Marinovic, General Commissioner for Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai, and Alexandra Kovacu, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Serbia, cordially invite you to the following
I am surprised at the sudden invitation. However, I have an idea!
The reason why a private citizen like me was invited is that the Guinness World Record of the largest gathering of 178 people with the same name, which we achieved in October 2022, was reported in 44 countries and 24 different languages, and the Serbian media owner Robert Coban, who saw the BBC news, came up with the idea of organizing the event. The record was easily broken 98 days later in the capital Belgrade by a gathering of 256 people led by Milica Jovanovic. This led to the establishment of the International Same Name Association with Serbia, the beginning of international exchange, and an audience with Alexandra Kovač, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Serbia to Japan, a year ago.
It was a completely unimaginable turn of events.
Of course, there was no reason to refuse the invitation. I was intimidated by the “dress code: business,” but dressed in my first formal three-piece suit since my early retirement last year, I headed to the Meiji Kinenkan, the venue of the party co-hosted by the Embassy of Serbia and the Serbian government.
At the entrance, I was greeted by the Serbian government’s General Commissioner for Osaka-Kansai Expo. When the embassy interpreter introduced me in Serbian, he said “Da Da” (“Da” means “Yes”) with a laugh, which seemed to be an accurate translation. I thanked him for the invitation and expressed my congratulations on the National Day of Serbia.
At the venue, I learned that Serbia’s National Day coincides with the “Reception of the Lord”. Here is an explanation with photos of the venue.
First, Serbia’s National Day commemorates the start of the First Serbian Uprising (rebellion against the Ottoman Empire) in 1804 and the promulgation of the first Serbian Constitution (Sretenje Constitution) in 1835.
Serbia was then under Ottoman rule, but on February 15, 1804, an uprising led by Karadjordje began and the Serbs formed an autonomous governing structure, which was suppressed by the Ottoman Empire in 1813. However, this uprising became the foundation of Serbia’s independence movement and led to the birth of the later Principality of Serbia (established after the second uprising in 1815).
On February 15, 1835, the first constitution of the Principality of Serbia, the Sretenjski Constitution (Sretenjski ustav), was enacted. This was one of the most progressive constitutions in Europe at the time, providing for the separation of powers (separation of legislative, executive, and judicial) and the protection of the rights of the people. The Constitution of Sretenjski ustav is remembered as a symbolic event in the formation of the modern state in Serbia.
What, on the other hand, is the “Feast of the Reception of the Lord”?
It is said to commemorate the day when Jesus Christ was taken to the Jerusalem Temple according to the Law of Moses on the 40th day after his birth. The old man Simeon, who welcomed Jesus at the temple, prophesied that “this child is the Savior of the world,” according to the biblical record (Luke 2:22-40).
In other words, the 1804 uprising, the 1835 constitution, and the Christian tradition coincide with this day, giving it special significance as “the day of Serbia’s spiritual and national rebirth.
Incidentally, Serbia is the only country where the Lord’s Reception Day is celebrated on the same day as the “National Day of the Nation,” and it is widely celebrated in other countries, especially by the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Churches.
After the Serbian national anthem, which was followed by the Japanese national flute performance, Ambassador Kovač gave the opening remarks. I was surprised when we first met, but the Ambassador is fluent in Japanese.
Next was a greeting from the Serbian government by Minister Kovačević of Public Administration and Local Self-Government. The fact that a woman is usually in an important position in a country, whether it is an ambassador or a minister, shows the difference between the two countries.
The chef in a white cook’s hat came all the way from his home country to serve us.
I enjoyed my first Serbian dish, “Mchukaritza”, pork stewed with paprika, and my first Serbian wine, which tasted fresh and delicious.
From Japan, Minister of Economy and Security Minoru Jouchi, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Fujii, and other distinguished guests greeted the guests at this dignified official event.
At first, I was prepared to be alone and away from home, but I found a connection with Serbia other than the same family name. The conductor of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra (directed by Ryuichi Sakamoto), a mixed orchestra composed of children from the areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, which I have been involved in managing since its establishment, is Hisao Yanagisawa, who is also the Music Director of the Balkan Chamber Orchestra, and through this connection I knew Etsuko Tsunozaki, the wife of the former Serbian Ambassador. By such a strange coincidence, she called out to me at the venue, “Mr. Tanaka! and introduced me to the members of the Japan Serbia Association, of which he and his wife serve as directors. Of course, the next day, Hirokazu Tanaka became a corporate member and I became an individual member. One of the advisors, Mr. Naohide Ueyama, President of DAINIHON JOCHUGIKU CO.,LTD. I wondered, “Why Kincho and Serbia?” I wondered, but it turns out that pyrethrum(JOCHUGIKU), the raw material used in mosquito coils, is originally from the former Yugoslavia.
This is Ms.Ljubica Vraneš, a mezzo-soprano singer and member of the Serbian parliament. Ms.Tsunozaki said, “I would love to talk to her,” so I took advantage of the opportunity to say hello and tell her about my connection with Serbia, which was born from the same name. I told him about my connection with Serbia, where my family name was born, and he laughed. I was surprised at the power of universal content.
Other performances included “Koro,” a Serbian folk dance performed by the “Sjilangan” folk dance troupe of the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.
I feel like I am in the Serbian Pavilion at the World Expo. Yes, we are the only Balkan nation to exhibit at the Osaka Expo, and as the Tanaka Hirokazu tribe, we have to check it out.
The diplomatic scene was full of cheerful people, and we enjoyed international goodwill by taking commemorative photos with Mrs. Hiroko Kitazume, Wife of the Former Japanese Ambassador to Qatar, Mr. Hoshino Tsuji, Director of Kyokane Corporation, and Ambassador Kovač.
I am smiling as I stand at the edge of the ladies in formal attire, looking like a valet.
I hope that Hirokazu Tanaka and his delegation will make a group tour of Serbia and develop grass-roots diplomacy with the Serbian Pavilion.
On October 18 of this year, we will be holding the Tanaka Hirokazu Movement National Convention 2025, which will once again aim to set a Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people with the same name, surpassing the gathering of 256 people of Milica Jovanovic of Serbia. Since this is a great opportunity, we would like to consider exchange content with Serbia within the event.
We look forward to continuing to receive information on Tanaka Hirokazu.