On May 21th, the Leading Brands of Spain Forum, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, organised the recognition ceremony for the Friends of the Spain Brand, which was closed by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas.
The Friends of the Spain Brand represent public recognition of those individuals, companies or institutions that have stood out for their ties to, or support of, Spanish companies in Japan.
The awardees were the Honorary Consul, Shingo Torii; the president of Murakami General Construction, Takehide Murakami; and chef Kazuhiro Shimizu, from the restaurant Etxola.
The statuette given to the award-winners is a figure made traditionally by Lladró.
The event was also attended by the president of Acción Cultural Española, José Andrés Torres; the director general of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, Inmaculada Riera; and the director general of the Leading Brands of Spain Forum, Pablo López Gil.
This ceremony is held to promote Spanish brands and gastronomy before a professional audience and Japanese media, to create business opportunities, and to strengthen the Spain Brand and bilateral relations with this country.
According to the Spain–Japan Council Foundation, Japan is currently the second most important market for Spanish companies in East and South Asia, as well as in Southeast Asia.
