Chiba towns welcome Mexican ship to celebrate 400 yrs of bilateral ties

ONJUKU, Japan, June 13 Kyodo -
(EDS: CORRECTING DATE IN 3RD GRAF, ADDING MORE INFO, MOVED FRIDAY)
Hundreds of residents of the towns of Onjuku and Otaki in Chiba Prefecture
welcomed crew members of a Mexican Navy training ship on Friday to celebrate
the 400th anniversary of friendship between Japan and Mexico, which commenced
with rescue efforts by the residents' ancestors.
The 1,800-ton cadet training ship Cuauhtemoc arrived off Onjuku, east of Tokyo,
in the early hours of Friday, starting a day full of events to commemorate the
milestone in the two countries' ties, with Navy officers visiting historic
sites.
On Sept. 30, 1609, the San Francisco, a Spanish galleon traveling from the
Philippines to New Spain, the name of a Spanish colony that later gained
independence as Mexico, was shipwrecked off the coast of what is now Onjuku.
The Philippines was also ruled by Spain at the time. Local fishers rescued 317
people from the vessel.
At a welcoming ceremony for the crew of the Cuauhtemoc, Onjuku Mayor Yoshihiro
Ishida said 400 years after a ''fateful encounter'' between residents and those
rescued from the wrecked vessel San Francisco, their descendents had a
''moving'' meeting.
''I'm grateful for the fact that the prosperity of both countries is based on
exchanges that started 400 years ago,'' he said.
Mexican Ambassador to Japan Miguel Ruiz Cabanas expressed his appreciation for
the rescue efforts, saying Mexican people will ''never forget the heroic and
humanitarian action'' of Onjuku fishers.
Marco Antonio Vila Vivaldo, the deputy commander of the Cuauhtemoc, said the
crew members' mission was to ''deliver a message of peace and friendship'' and
they are glad to have completed that task.
Hideko Aoyagi, an Onjuku resident, said after the ceremony that she appreciated
the training ship's visit to her town as it had come from ''far away'' and
expressed hope that the two countries will maintain a long-lasting friendship.
Justice Minister Eisuke Mori, who is elected from a constituency in Chiba, also
took part in a commemorative event.
The crew of the Cuauhtemoc visited a beach in Onjuku, a memorial established to
mark the start of transport links between Japan, Mexico and Spain as well as a
museum built on the site where Otaki Castle once stood.
The San Francisco was carrying Governor General of the Philippines Rodrigo de
Vivero when it was wrecked.
Vivero and others briefly stayed in the homes of Onjuku residents and the
governor general was later received by the shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada, and his
predecessor, Tokugawa Ieyasu, thanks to efforts by Tadatomo Honda, then the
lord of Otaki Castle.
Ieyasu provided them with a new vessel, enabling them to successfully return to
Nueva Espana, according to the towns. This incident marked the start of
transport links between Japan, Mexico and Spain.
The Cuauhtemoc left the port of Acapulco on Feb. 15 and called at Yokohama and
Tokyo ports before arriving at Onjuku. It was originally scheduled to visit
Osaka in late May, but the visit was cancelled because of new-flu infections
confirmed in the western Japan city.
==Kyodo