PHNOM PENH: The song "Rainbow for Tomorrow," recorded in Cambodia during the 1980s, was handed over to the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs through its Embassy, as a show of friendship between the two countries, and to reminisce over Cambodia's perseverance in recovering from war to the developed country it is today. Prime Minister Hun Sen previously said he was was moved to tears when Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, played him the song during the 4th Asia-Pacific Water Summit in Kumamoto, Japan.
Speaking at the handover ceremony of the song "Rainbow for Tomorrow" at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday, 30 May, the Japanese Ambassador to Cambodia, Mikami Masahiro said that the song was written and sung by a well-known Japanese singer and actress, Minamino Yoko. The video for the song was recorded during her first visit to Cambodia in 1989 for a television project before the Japanese Embassy was officially opened in Cambodia.
The Ambassador confirmed that the song was first screened at the Kizuna Festival in February this year, and the Japanese Prime Minister introduced this song during a dinner held for Prime Minister Hun Sen, in Kumamoto at the end of April. The Ambassador said he hopes this song will be played and sung together by the people of Cambodia and the people of Japan on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Cambodia and Japan in 2023.
He further added, "I believe that the history of relations between our two countries is based on people-to-people exchanges and feelings of mutual respect for each other. From this perspective, I feel that "Rainbow for Tomorrow" reminds us of our friendship and how it will continue into the future. I, therefore, hope that many Cambodian people will watch and listen to, and enjoy, this song and video.”
In the song “Rainbow for Tomorrow,” Minamino Yoko describes her journey to Cambodia and how she saw warmth in the eyes of the Cambodian people, saying that she has made friends with the people of Cambodia through their eyes and not with words. She saw the suffering of the Cambodian people with her eyes and vowed to never flee or leave them behind. The rainbow in the sky in the song represents the connection between Japan and Cambodia, taking a step forward for the future with friendship.
At the end of the song, the lyrics say, "The rainbow in the sky becomes a bridge connecting each other, looking at the same sky, wishing for the future to create tomorrow together."
The owner of the song "Rainbow for Tomorrow", Minamino Yoko, said in a video played during the ceremony this afternoon that she would like to send the song to Prime Minister Hun Sen and all Cambodians. She recalled the first time she came to Cambodia in 1989, traveling to primary schools, orphanages, and hospitals, where she learned a lot and felt the energy of the Cambodian people. When she came for the second time in 2013, the girl she had met in 1989 had became an adult, which made her very excited.
She said, "I am very interested to see children who used to be innocent and energetic become good mothers or play an active role in various careers. My desire is to continue having a closer and stronger relationship with Cambodia. I told my friend this, and my friend felt the same way. As a first step, we wrote this song.”
She hopes that the Cambodian people will listen to the song, and hopes to sing with the Cambodian people as they commemorate the 70th anniversary of Cambodia-Japan relations next year.
The Secretary of State for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tuot Panha, thanked the Embassy of Japan for handing over the copyrighted song to Cambodia, particularly thanking the song owner and the Japanese television company for allowing Cambodia to broadcast it on the official national website and television channel in Cambodia.
The Secretary of State said, "The song, ‘Rainbow for Tomorrow,’ which has just been screened a moment ago, truly reflects the reality of Cambodia in the late 1980s and the gradual transformation and development of the country, as well as people-to-people connections between our two countries. I am confident that many Cambodian people will also be deeply touched by this wonderful song, which will also help promote the long-lasting bond of friendship between the people of Cambodia and Japan.”
Speaking at the meeting with Grade A students on the morning of 3 May 2022, Prime Minister Hun Sen said that in recent weeks, he has shed happy tears twice. The first time was when he went to attend the 4th Asia-Pacific Water Summit in Japan. While in Japan, Prime Minister Hun Sen met with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who played a music video of a song Japan had written on the hardships of the Cambodian people after the Khmer Rouge regime. Upon watching this video, Prime Minister Hun Sen said he shed tears in front of the Japanese Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Hun Sen said he shed tears again after seeing all the changes in Cambodia now compared to the time right after the liberation from the Khmer Rouge regime.
He said, "When I recall the past, I did not imagine what we would have today when we left the Pol Pot regime in the post-war phase. When I remember that song that used old pictures, it made me reminisce the tragedy of the Cambodian people in the past. This morning, I saw the progress of our young people, I am so proud and excited to the point of tears."
