Brendan Howlin
Question:69. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs when he expects the new Ireland House Irish Embassy to open in Tokyo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5269/22]
View answerWednesday, 2 February 2022
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As part of the Government's Global Ireland 2025 initiative, Ireland is investing in a new, state-of-the-art Ireland House in Tokyo. Construction is expected to take two years and is scheduled to commence within the next twelve months.
Japan is an important and like minded partner for Ireland. As the third largest economy in the world, Japan is a vital market for Irish goods and services and an important source of foreign direct investment. The new Ireland House will be a symbol of Ireland’s commitment to its relationship with Japan and our ambition to develop this further.
The vision for this new ‘Ireland House’ building is to provide an exceptional platform for Ireland to deepen our engagement in Japan in future years. In addition, the new building will help raise Ireland’s profile in Japan and showcase our cultural heritage, creativity and innovation through excellence in design. The building will meet the highest sustainability standards.
Located in Yotsuya district in central Tokyo, Ireland House will be home to offices for the Embassy and the State Agencies and the official accommodation of the Ambassador. The building will also house a multi-use event and exhibition space for culture, promotion and business and will be a meeting place for the Irish community in Japan.
An international Design Competition was held to identify a design for the architects for the building, with Dublin based architects firm Henry J Lyons announced as the winning team in September 2020.