Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó presented the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (civil division) to Kazuhiko Takeushi, the leading executive of the Denso Corporation’s diesel injector division, in Tokyo on Wednesday. The Minister thanked Kazuhiko Takeushi and Denso for their confidence in Hungary, with which Hungary has proven that it is capable of manufacturing world-class products.

In his speech, Mr. Szijjártó emphasised: “Never before have the global economy and global politics changed so rapidly and radically, and the tempo of these changes is being dictated at least as much from the East as from the West. And in fact, the role of the East in shaping these global economic and political changes has been continuously increasing in recent years. While a few years ago some 70 percent of global investment came from the West, by today this ratio had fallen to 40 percent, and the level of investment coming from the East has overtaken the Western level of investment”.

According to Mr. Szijjártó, the role of major eastern investors in the Hungarian economy is also continuously increasing. “The level of investment arriving in Hungary from the East has increased by 22 percent during the past four years”, he stated.

“Previously, the Hungarians were often referred to as the easternmost westerners, or the westernmost easterners”, the Minister said. “This classification used to betray a certain level of contempt, but today it represents praise in view of the fact that the newest technologies that are transforming the global economy and are the guarantors of success are also increasingly coming from the East”, he explained. “Hungary has become involved in the competition for Eastern investments and technology via its Eastern Opening policy”, the Minister pointed out.

With relation to Denso, Mr. Szijjártó said that as the world’s third largest automotive industry supplier, it has brought state-of-the-art technology to Hungary. “Without the company, the Hungarian economy could not have occupied its leading position within Europe”, he underlined.

Kazuhiko Takeushi said the award was a huge honour, and in his speech, he spoke about the level of development that Székesfehérvár and Hungary have experienced since Denso established its subsidiary there 22 years ago. He also thanked the Hungarian government for its active support of the plant’s expansion.

Denso Manufacturing Hungary Ltd. was established in 1997 in Székesfehérvár, and since then Mr. Takeushi has been responsible for the plant’s activities at the company’s Japanese headquarters, actively supporting the plant’s expansion. Today, the company is one of the largest Japanese investors in Hungary and the country’s largest Japanese employer, with a workforce of 4000 people. In addition to its automotive industry activities and production, the company also plays and active part in the development of Székesfehárvár and the surrounding region, amongst other through funding education and via the dual vocational training system.

(MTI)