Events dedicated to the commemoration of the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide

25 April, 2026

On the occasion of the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the diplomatic staff of the Embassy, together with representatives of the Armenian community in Japan and Japanese friends, visited the grave of Diana Agabeg Apcar in Yokohama.

The participants observed a minute of silence in memory of the innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide, as well as those individuals of that period whose humanitarian actions saved the lives of thousands of Armenians. Ambassador Monika Simonyan laid a wreath at Apcar’s grave.

On the same day, a presentation of the book “The ‘Diaspora’ Lived in Japan: Diana Apcar and the Armenian Genocide,” published at the end of last year, was held at the Embassy. The book is co-authored by Meline Mesropyan, a lecturer at universities in Kobe and Osaka, and journalist Arisa Ohta.

The book is a biography of Diana Apcar based on international, multi-archival historical sources, examined over 13 years of research by Dr. Mesropyan. It includes previously unpublished information about Apcar’s life, her literary work, her humanitarian assistance to refugees, her relations with the Japanese government, and many other aspects reflecting the period.

In her remarks, Ambassador Monika Simonyan emphasized the value of the book, which presents the life and activities of Diana Apcar as a businesswoman, intellectual, writer, public figure, and a person engaged in humanitarian and diplomatic efforts. She expressed hope that the book would contribute to greater recognition of Apcar both in Japan and beyond, and shed light on aspects related to Japan during the Armenian Genocide of the early 20th century.

During the presentation, Dr. Mesropyan shared insights into the motivation behind the research, the challenges encountered, and its key milestones.

Japanese co-author Mrs. Ohta spoke about Apcar’s significant role in the history of Armenian-Japanese relations, as well as the challenge of presenting the book’s content in an accessible way to Japanese readers who are not familiar with Armenia, its people, and its history.

The book was published in Japanese by one of Japan’s leading publishing houses, Fujiwara Shoten, with the support and patronage of the Embassy of Armenia to Japan.

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