ANZAC Day Speech by Ambassador Kikuta
2025/4/25
The Honourable Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General Dato Paduka Seri Awang Halbi, Minister of Defence II, Brunei Darussalam,
His Excellency Mr. Michael Hoy, High Commissioner, Australia,
Excellencies, Distinguished guests,
Very good early morning to you all.
Today, we are here at Pantai Muara together again for the ANZAC Day Dawn Service.
As all of us know, ANZAC Day originates from the historical fact that the ANZAC forces landed at Gallipoli on April 25, 1915, fighting against the Ottoman Army commanded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. More than century later, ANZAC Day is now an occasion when Australians and New Zealanders honour those who have served in all the conflicts involved.
And here in Brunei, it even holds a special significance given what happened during World War II. I would like to express my respect and gratitude to H.E. Micheal Hoy, Australian High Commissioner, for his spirit of reconciliation and kind gesture inviting me to attend this ceremony along with other participants.
During the war years, the Imperial Japanese forces attacked Miri, Seria, Kuching, occupied all of Brunei around the end of 1941, and built an airport in Labuan Island in the following year. However, in June 1945, the Allied powers including Australian forces landed on the beaches of Labuan and Muara, and the two sides engaged in fierce battles along the entire Muara coast and beyond. The battles in the Muara area reached their peak on June 12, and by the night of June 17, the 366th Independent Infantry Battalion was believed to have been completely wiped out. More than one hundred Australian soldiers also fell in those battles.
On this solemn occasion of ANZAC Day, I would like to pay my deepest respect to all those who lost their lives in the battles. My thoughts also go to those, both Japanese soldiers and Australian POWs, who faced agonising sufferings from malaria, amoebic dysentery, starvation, fatigue and lost their lives in the jungles of Borneo.
This year 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
I myself lost my grandfather in the fight in Manchuria, China. So, I was raised in a family of the war dead, and now I am standing here as the Ambassador of Japan to Brunei. It gives me a special deep emotion and strong conviction that we should strive together for the peace of this region and beyond.
Although Japan and Australia stood on opposing sides 80 years ago, the two countries have been making their utmost efforts for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and have now become steadfast reliable partners aiming for the same goal.
Unfortunately, we are currently witnessing fragmentation of the world and prolonged armed conflicts in many regions. But the escalation of hatred would produce nothing positive. I firmly believe that we all have to think over how to live together on this planet, overcoming the differences of each constituent. Japan, as a peace-loving nation reborn from the ashes of World War II, has deeply engraved the lessons of history into our hearts, and exerted our efforts to promote global peace and prosperity. We will continue to uphold this commitment.
In closing, I hope that ANZAC Day in Brunei will continue to serve as a reminder to us all, young and old, of the importance of concerted efforts toward a peaceful future.
Terima kasih for your kind attention.
His Excellency Mr. Michael Hoy, High Commissioner, Australia,
Excellencies, Distinguished guests,
Very good early morning to you all.
Today, we are here at Pantai Muara together again for the ANZAC Day Dawn Service.
As all of us know, ANZAC Day originates from the historical fact that the ANZAC forces landed at Gallipoli on April 25, 1915, fighting against the Ottoman Army commanded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. More than century later, ANZAC Day is now an occasion when Australians and New Zealanders honour those who have served in all the conflicts involved.
And here in Brunei, it even holds a special significance given what happened during World War II. I would like to express my respect and gratitude to H.E. Micheal Hoy, Australian High Commissioner, for his spirit of reconciliation and kind gesture inviting me to attend this ceremony along with other participants.
During the war years, the Imperial Japanese forces attacked Miri, Seria, Kuching, occupied all of Brunei around the end of 1941, and built an airport in Labuan Island in the following year. However, in June 1945, the Allied powers including Australian forces landed on the beaches of Labuan and Muara, and the two sides engaged in fierce battles along the entire Muara coast and beyond. The battles in the Muara area reached their peak on June 12, and by the night of June 17, the 366th Independent Infantry Battalion was believed to have been completely wiped out. More than one hundred Australian soldiers also fell in those battles.
On this solemn occasion of ANZAC Day, I would like to pay my deepest respect to all those who lost their lives in the battles. My thoughts also go to those, both Japanese soldiers and Australian POWs, who faced agonising sufferings from malaria, amoebic dysentery, starvation, fatigue and lost their lives in the jungles of Borneo.
This year 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
I myself lost my grandfather in the fight in Manchuria, China. So, I was raised in a family of the war dead, and now I am standing here as the Ambassador of Japan to Brunei. It gives me a special deep emotion and strong conviction that we should strive together for the peace of this region and beyond.
Although Japan and Australia stood on opposing sides 80 years ago, the two countries have been making their utmost efforts for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and have now become steadfast reliable partners aiming for the same goal.
Unfortunately, we are currently witnessing fragmentation of the world and prolonged armed conflicts in many regions. But the escalation of hatred would produce nothing positive. I firmly believe that we all have to think over how to live together on this planet, overcoming the differences of each constituent. Japan, as a peace-loving nation reborn from the ashes of World War II, has deeply engraved the lessons of history into our hearts, and exerted our efforts to promote global peace and prosperity. We will continue to uphold this commitment.
In closing, I hope that ANZAC Day in Brunei will continue to serve as a reminder to us all, young and old, of the importance of concerted efforts toward a peaceful future.
Terima kasih for your kind attention.