Marking the 140th anniversary of friendship between Serbia and Japan, the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Tokyo hosted a presentation of the restoration project of the frescoes in the Chapel of King Dragutin in the Đurđevi Stupovi Monastery, a component of the "Old Ras and Sopoćani" from the UNESCO World Heritage List. The project, funded by the Sumitomo Foundation and Kincho, a company headed by the Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Serbia Naohide Uejama, was realized last year. Lectures on this occasion were given by the author of the project, art historian Sachi Shimada and Professor Michitaka Suzuki, an expert on Serbian medieval cultural heritage from Tohoku Gakuin University. The presentation and reception, organized by the Embassy afterwards, were attended by Honorary Consul General Ueyama and representatives of the Sumitomo Foundation, as well as members of the Japan-Serbia Association, representatives of the Chioda UNESCO Association, members of the academic community and other admirers of Serbian cultural heritage.

In her welcome speech, Ambassador Aleksandra Kovač thanked Sachi Shimada for realizing the project of exceptional importance for our country and the world, but also for cultural exchange and cooperation between Serbia and Japan. She expressed her gratitude to the Sumitomo Foundation and Kincho for recognizing the importance of the project and financially supporting it. The Ambassador assessed that heritage is the cornerstone of our culture, which plays an important role in shaping identity and represents what we inherited from the past, to enjoy and learn from it in the present, and to preserve and pass it on to future generations. She thanked all the participants in the project for helping Serbia in such an important task.