The 40th Anniversary Celebration Party of the Swiss Society of the Kansai (SSOK) at the Kobe Club on 14 September was a perfect opportunity to praise the excellent relationship between Switzerland and the Kansai region in Japan. At the festive event, the 80 participants from the Society and their guests, including Mr. Dieter Sommerhalder, Honorary Consul General of Switzerland in Osaka, could enjoy Swiss traditional music performed by the musicians of the Fässler family and Japanese yodeler Keiko Ito. In his address, Ambassador Paroz thanked the Swiss Society of the Kansai for its precious contribution to the bilateral relations over four decades, as an anchor for the Swiss community, a symbol of the Swiss presence as well as a precious partner of the Embassy in the efforts to strengthen the political, economic and cultural relations with the Kansai region.

The Hyogo Prefectural Government was represented by the Director of the International Relations Division, Mr. Futoshi Yokokawa, who read the congratulatory message of Governor Toshizo Ido. The Kobe City Government was represented by Mr. Kenji Uematsu, Executive Director of the International Department. More information about the Swiss Society of the Kansai and the other Swiss clubs and associations in Japan is available on the site of the Grand Tour of Switzerland in Japan.