On the eve of the 102nd anniversary of the founding of the independent Czechoslovakia, the Czech Embassy in Japan this year commemorated this important event by laying wreaths at the monument of Czechoslovak legionaries in Fuchu on the outskirts of Tokyo. The ceremony was attended by the Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Japan, accompanied by a group of leading Japanese historians - Mr. Nagayo, Mr. Fukuda and Mr. Kosaka - who are specialists in the history of Czechoslovakia between the world wars. The monument commemorates five Czechoslovak legionaries who perished in Japanese hospitals or on a ship when returning to Czechoslovakia in 1918 and 1919. Academic painter Pavel Holý from the Military Historical Institute of the Czech Republic is the author of the monument.

The monument of Czechoslovak legionaries in Fuchu

Czech festivals in Sakai and Tokyo became part of the celebrations of the 102nd anniversary of the independent Czechoslovakia. Due to a global pandemic, the festival in Tokyo was this year presented for the first time in its online form under the name Czech Week Online.  The festivals were organized by the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Japan in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic and with Tokyo offices of the agencies CzechTourism, CzechInvest/CzechTrade and Czech Center.