Belgian PM Pays Bridgestone a Visit

Belgium’s Prime Minister Yves Leterme has paid Bridgestone Corporation’s headquarters in Tokyo as part of his April 7 to 10 visit to Japan. During the visit, Mr. Leterme met with Shoshi Arakawa, Bridgestone’s chairman of the Board, CEO and president, and several other company executives.

The Belgian Prime Minister is visiting Japan from in order to attend multiple events and meetings, including the inauguration ceremony for the newly constructed Embassy of Belgium in Tokyo. His visit to the Bridgestone headquarters, the tyre major states, reflects the close relationship between Belgium and Bridgestone, whose European regional headquarters, Bridgestone Europe NV/SA, is located in Brussels. Bridgestone adds that the company’s ties to Belgium were further in evidence on October 7, 2009, when Arakawa was awarded the most prestigious Belgian order, the Commander of the Order of Leopold.

After the meeting, the Mr. Leterme visited the Bridgestone Museum of Art, which was established by company founder Shojiro Ishibashi. The museum houses a world-renowned collection of impressionist art along with other artefacts and works of art.