My first encounter with Japan was as secretary of
 state for foreign affairs, accompanying then-Prime
 Minister Mariano Rajoy on his visit to Japan in
 October 2013.

On that occasion, both Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Rajoy adopted the declaration of the 
“Association for Peace, Growth and Innovation,” that continues to be the framework of our cooperation.
 Since then my respect and admiration for Japan and the Japanese people has only grown.

“Do the best you can every day.” I believe
 improvement comes from good principles and positive 
targets combined with continuous effort. I think one
 should try to do their best in their personal and 
professional life on a daily basis.

Definitely having succeeded in winning a seat for
 Spain as a non-permanent member of the United
 Nations Security Council in a very, very difficult 
election at the General Assembly on Oct. 16, 
2014. This was the final day of a long and strenuous
 campaign for which I was largely responsible, and we
 fulfilled our objective.

My goal in Japan is to enhance our relations to the
 highest level. In the last three years, important milestones have been achieved — the state visit of the King and Queen of Spain, a direct Tokyo-Madrid flight via Iberia and the celebration of the 150th anniversary of diplomatic 
relations, among others.

We will continue working closely with Japan’s 
government and society to make Spain even more known and appreciated.