6/14/2022
Postage stamps for 140 yrs of diplomatic relations between Serbia and Japan
On the occasion of the great diplomatic jubilee – 140 years of diplomatic relations between Serbia and Japan, an exhibition on the most important events in bilateral relations between the two countries in the period from the Second World War until now was opened today at the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The exhibition with valuable testimonies and archival material from the documentation of the diplomatic archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Archives of Yugoslavia was opened by Minister Nikola Selaković, who handed over a special gift issue of commemorative postage stamps of the Post of Serbia “140th anniversary of the friendship between Serbia and Japan” to H.E. Ambassador of Japan in Belgrade, Takahiko Katsumata.
Zoran Đorđević, Acting Director of the Post of Serbia spoke about the philatelic issue of the Post of Serbia published as part of the jubilee, emphasizing that motifs were chosen that indicate the very beginning of bilateral, partnership and friendly relations, which have been marked by great mutual respect and esteem, sympathy and solidarity for almost a century and a half.
“We join the celebration of the jubilee of diplomatic relations between Serbia and Japan with the commemorative philatelic issue of the Post of Serbia, celebrating the constant rise of our relations and the comprehensive progress of Serbia and Japan in terms of political dialogue, in the economy, but also in the fields of culture and art, where both sides express a strong desire and interest in getting to know each other's cultural and historical heritage and traditions. We prepared the issue with the desire to permanently preserve the memory of this jubilee, but also as part of new perspectives for further development of cooperation”, said Zoran Đorđević.
After the proclamation of Serbia as a kingdom on March 6, 1882, the first king of Serbia after the Nemanjić era, Milan Obrenović, sent messages to the rulers of many countries of the world, informing them about the restoration of Serbian statehood. Such a message was also sent to Imperial Tokyo, from where the answer of the Japanese Emperor Meiji arrived. The exchange of messages between the two sovereigns practically represents the beginning of official relations between the two countries. The motifs on the stamp are portraits of King Milan I Obrenović and the Japanese Emperor Meiji, while the details of their letters are in the background. The motifs on the envelope are details of the diplomatic correspondence between Milan Obrenović and Emperor Meiji in 1882. The artistic processing of the issue is the work of Nadežda Skočajić, the creator of the postage stamps for the Post of Serbia.