JAPAN is deepening its engagement with Solomon Islands with the visit this week in Honiara of Tatsuya Haga, secretary general of the Japan Pacific Islands Association.
Mr Haga, who arrived last Saturday, was here to further explore areas the Japanese government could further engage with Solomon Islands.
“My trip is sort of like a research trip to see how Japan could further engage with Solomon Islands,” Mr Haga told the Solomon Star yesterday.
While here, he’s meeting leaders of various government agencies, ministry officials, as well as Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare.
He will also travel to Gizo, Western Province, to see the modern hospital the Japanese Government built at Gizo.
“This is my first trip to Solomon Islands and through my meetings, I hope to have a better understanding of the economic and development situation here,” Mr Haga said.
He confirmed his visit was part of the Japanese Government’s efforts to deeply engage with Pacific island countries.
Mr Haga, who is also secretary of the Honorary Consulate of Solomon Islands in Tokyo, said Japan Pacific Islands Association is chaired by Takahiro Kitano.
Mr Kitano, a prominent Japanese businessman, is Solomon Islands’ honorary consul in Japan. He is also owner of Kitano Mendana Hotel in Honiara.
Japan Pacific Islands Association is a friendship and research organisation established by business circles and Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1974 as a private sector body to strengthen relations and understanding between Pacific island countries and Japan.
Over the years, it has played the role of a think-tank supporting Japanese government’s policy-making about Pacific Island countries and rousing public interest in the Pacific region for Japanese people.
Funding for the organisation comes from private agencies, individuals and corporations.
Its activities include investigation and research, organising conference and symposium, friendship and goodwill exchange, consultative works for study and business, and providing useful information.
Mr Haga said former Japanese prime minister Yoshiro Mori is the honorary chairman of Japan Pacific Islands
He said upon his return, he is expected to compile a report about his visit.
Mr Haga’s trip comes at the back of the recent seventh Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM7) that concluded at the Japanese city of Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture.
Deputy prime minister Douglas Ete attended the summit.
Amongst PALM7’s conclusion was the emphasis of the importance of people-to-people exchanges between Japan and Pacific island countries, in particular, the reciprocal visits of the youth who will bear the future of the Pacific region.
The leaders reaffirmed their intentions to continue to consider introducing the relaxation of visa requirements on a reciprocal and bilateral basis based on the commitment of PALM6.
Recalling that more than 1,000 youths from the Pacific region visited Japan under frameworks such as “JENESYS2.0”, the leaders expressed their appreciation to Japan for these initiatives, and underlined the importance of continuing frameworks such as “JENESYS2015”.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took note of a proposal by the leaders of the island countries for a student exchange programme between Japanese universities and the University of the South Pacific.
The leaders also appreciated the vital roles played by the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) and Senior Volunteers as bridges between Japan and Pacific island countries.
The leaders reaffirmed the importance of fostering a wide-ranging mutual understanding at grass-roots level through such interactions.
At PALM7 Japan pledged US$452 million in aid to the island nations over the next three years in order to boost relations and help them cope with disasters.
Mr Abe also announced his government will upgrade its diplomatic office in Honiara to embassy level.
