Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the installation of a stone stele by patriot Phan Boi Chau to thank Doctor Asaba Sakitaro in Japan

Attending the ceremony were Mr. Akihito Yoshibayashi - Vice Governor of Shizuoka Province; descendants of Dr. Asaba Sakitaro and many Japanese people.

On the side of Nghe An province, there were comrade Le Xuan Dai - Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; children and grandchildren of Mr. Phan Boi Chau; members of the working delegation.

Speaking at the ceremony, Vice Governor Akihito Yoshibayashi expressed his joy at welcoming guests who are descendants of patriot Phan Boi Chau from Nghe An province to attend the ceremony.

In recent times, Shizuoka Prefecture has organized many cultural activities, introducing the life and career of Phan Boi Chau; promoting and educating about the friendly relationship between Phan Boi Chau and Dr. Asaba Sakitaro. In addition, every year, Shizuoka Prefecture also organizes scholarships for Vietnamese students studying here.

The Deputy Governor suggested that in the coming time, the two provinces will promote friendly cooperation in many fields, bringing the strategic friendship between Vietnam and Japan to increasingly sustainable development.

Leaders of Nghe An and Shizuoka provinces were present at the memorial stele of Dr. Asaba Sakitaro. Photo: Tran Minh

Also at the ceremony, Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Xuan Dai expressed his sincere thanks to the Shizuoka Provincial Government and Fukuroi City for inviting the Nghe An delegation to visit and attend this important and meaningful event.

Expressing his deep respect and gratitude, comrade Le Xuan Dai emphasized the important historical role of doctor Sakitaro Asaba - who devoted much love and enthusiasm to the Eastern Travel movement, and personally Mr. Phan Boi Chau - a native of Nghe An, who devoted his whole life to finding a way to save the country and save the people.

Before that, the provincial delegation went to Giorin Pagoda to offer flowers in memory of Dr. Asaba Sakitarô, and visited the descendants of Dr. Asaba Sakitarô and Mr. Phan Boi Chau. Here, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Xuan Dai thanked the local people for preserving, protecting, and embellishing the grave of Dr. Asaba Sakitarô over the past 100 years.

Before leaving Japan, on March 8, 1909, Phan Boi Chau came to greet Asaba and thank him for his generosity. Phan did not expect that it would be his last meeting. One year later, on September 25, 1910, Dr. Asaba Sakitaro died at his home due to tuberculosis. True to his promise at his benefactor's grave, in 1918, Phan Boi Chau returned and planned to make a stele in honor of Dr. Asaba Sakitaro. The stele is 2.7m high and 0.87m wide, placed on a stone pedestal over 1m high, erected in the grounds of Giorin Pagoda, next to Dr. Asaba Sakitaro's grave. The stele is the only and convincing evidence to record and affirm"Phan Boi Chau and Asaba Sakitarô became the people who laid the foundation for Vietnam-Japan friendship".