Government spent over €1.3m on fit-out of new embassy in Tokyo

Ken Foxe

The Department of Foreign Affairs spent more than €1.3 million on the fit-out of a new embassy in Tokyo, including €43,000 for a tapestry and €1,100 for umbrella stands.

The new Ireland House in Japan was officially opened by the Taoiseach this summer, with overall costs of around €35 million.

New figures detail spending of €1.35 million on furnishing costs ranging from six-figure contracts for furniture to €95 hardware purchases and Amazon Japan orders.

Spending on art made up a sizable chunk of the bill with €110,000 worth of items bought from the RINN exhibition, stated as part of Ireland’s presence at Expo 2025 in Osaka.

Separately, a €10,782 deposit was paid for a specially made tapestry by artist Isabel Nolan with the department saying the final bill was €43,130.

Another commissioned painting by Sophie Gough for the new Ireland House cost around €8,400 while moving artwork from the old embassy building in Tokyo cost nearly €6,800.

There were three payments to MJ Flood Interiors for the supply of furniture and equipment, including delivery and installation.

The first invoice was for €516,600 and the second was for €566,000, according to documents released under FOI.

A further €31,500 was paid to the firm bringing the overall cost of the contract to around €1.11 million.

Purchase of various soft furnishing items came to €2,463 while €605 was spent on bins and other miscellaneous bits and pieces.

A dryer cost €539 and €550 was spent on two gripped floor mats. Other bills listed included €12,242 for white goods and €4,951 for pots and pans.

Another invoice for €3,034 covered the cost of three coffee machines, four microwaves, three large refrigerators, and four smaller fridges.

There was an outlay of just under €6,000 for bins and umbrella stands in common areas and €450 for tablecloths and napkins.

The fit-out bill was part of around €35.2 million in costs for the development of the new Ireland House in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo.

The site itself was purchased for €7.74 million under a special deal with the Japanese government.

When legal fees, due diligence, and archaeology were included, that rose to €8.54 million.

The design and build of the landmark embassy, residence and office space has cost around €26.7 million with some invoices still outstanding.

Asked about the project, a Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman said: “Ireland House in Tokyo will contribute substantially to raising Ireland’s profile in Japan and represents a significant commitment by Ireland.

“[The department] uses art to showcase Ireland, highlight links and engagement with the host country, draw out similarities between our countries, highlight Irish artistic culture, and facilitate positive engagement with visitors to Ireland House.

“Under the 1% for Art scheme, the Department allocated an amount of money within the project budget for the purchase of Irish Art for Ireland House Tokyo.”