Two Sénoufo masks, two Baoulé statuettes, and two paintings—cultural artifacts of Ivorian origin—were officially returned to the Minister of Culture and Francophonie, Françoise Remarck, by Her Imperial Highness Princess Takamado on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, at the Embassy of Côte d'Ivoire in Tokyo, Japan.

Notably, the Baoulé statuette couple, a Baoulé mask, and a Sénoufo mask will be repatriated to Côte d'Ivoire, while the bronze under-glass Chiwara couple and a set of 21 Akan gold-weighting objects will remain on display at the Ivorian Embassy in Japan.

This cultural restitution took place during a working visit by Minister Françoise Remarck to Tokyo from March 23 to 27, at the invitation of Her Imperial Highness Princess Takamado, who holds a doctorate in anthropology, archaeology, and arts.

Princess Takamado recalled that the returned artifacts were gifts presented to her and her late husband, Prince Takamado, by the first President of Côte d'Ivoire, the late Félix Houphouët-Boigny, in April 1993 during their visit to Abidjan and Yamoussoukro as a gesture of recognition and friendship.

She emphasized that she shares Côte d'Ivoire’s vision regarding cultural heritage, preservation, and promotion of culture.

“In both Côte d'Ivoire and Japan, masks hold spiritual significance. The Imperial Court has decided to organize several ceremonies of this nature for gifts received, allowing cultural artifacts to return to their place of origin,” she explained.

Françoise Remarck expressed the deep gratitude of President Alassane Ouattara and the Ivorian government to the Princess for safeguarding and maintaining these cultural objects.

While commending Japan's leadership in preserving cultural heritage globally, she reaffirmed Côte d'Ivoire’s commitment to strengthening cooperation with Japan, particularly in cultural matters.

On this occasion, Minister Remarck highlighted that in December 2025, in Paraguay, UNESCO inscribed Ivorian traditional Attiéké-making techniques and Japan’s traditional Sake brewing techniques using Koji on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list.

During her visit, the minister met with the Ivorian community in Japan, which consists of more than 200 members, including IT professionals, restaurateurs, entrepreneurs, cultural operators, and artists. She congratulated them on promoting Ivorian culture and contributing to the country’s global influence.

Françoise Remarck urged Ivorians living in Japan to be ambassadors of peace, tolerance, and solidarity, especially in this electoral year.

Additionally, the minister held several meetings, including discussions with her Japanese counterpart, Tishiko Abe, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, as well as with business leaders and patrons. These meetings focused on bilateral cooperation, particularly in cultural training and project financing.