Connecting Japan with the Netherlands and Europe, Past and Future: Maritime, Air, and Space Relations

On the occasion of the celebration of the 400th Anniversary of Dutch-Japanese trade relations in 2009, Asiascape was honoured to host an exhibition of images produced by the world famous TOEI Animation production company. The exhibition accompanied a conference on the evolution of transport links between the two nations over the last 400 years, with some speculation on what the next 400 years might bring. The event was held in the Peace Palace in The Hague, one of the most famous and prestigeous buildings in The Netherlands and home of the International Court of Justice. We were honoured to host several ambassadors and judges of the ICJ.

The TOEI images were proudly displayed in the Russian Room, around the famous 3200kg Russian Vase, which was a gift from Tsar Nicolas II. The floor in the middle of this room has been reinforced to accommodate the weight of this man-sized green, jasper marbled vase mounted with gold. This gift is accompanied by Latin phrases on the wall which translate into "Peace will extinguish the flames of war" and "Justice uplifts a people". On the 13 February 2009, it was also surrounded by images of Japanese anime portraying a future in which technology is put into the service of fighting oppression in various guises.

The conference itself proceeded in the Small Hall of Justice, which is intended for the sessions of the Permanent Court of Arbitration. In the image above (left to right), you see Professors Chris Goto-Jones, Susan Napier and Peter Pels discussing the various ways in which Japanese and Anglo-American science fiction might provide clues about the future evolution of Japan's relationships with Europe and the USA.

The Peace Palace in The Hague is home to a number of international judicial institutions, including the International Court of Justice (ICJ) or World Court, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), the renowned Peace Palace Library, as well as the Hague Academy of International Law, which attracts law students from all over the world every summer.

The Palace, the premises on which it stands and the Library are the property of the Carnegie Foundation. The Foundation encourages the organisation of seminars and other initiatives to foster the peace ideal and is part of the international philantropic network of Carnegie Institutions.

To view the exhibition online, click here.