Story by Oleen Ndori, Foreign Desk Editor
ZIMBABWE and Japan are hoping to use the Expo2025 Osaka to increase trade and investment opportunities for both countries.
February 23 was the 65th birthday of Japanese Emperor Naruhito, and to belatedly mark the day, the Japanese Embassy in Harare held its celebrations this Wednesday.
Japanese Ambassador to Zimbabwe, His Excellency Shinichi Yamanaka says that 45 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the two countries’ cooperation has seen growth in areas such as agriculture, road rehabilitation, health and the economy.
He said the upcoming Expo 2025 Osaka, along with the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) will further grow these ties.
“The Osaka-Kansai Expo is scheduled to take place for six months from April 13 to October 13 in Osaka, Japan. Zimbabwe will have a dedicated pavilion at the EXPO with a special focus on July 16, which has been designated as Zimbabwe’s National Day. Various events and activities are scheduled to be held. In addition, Japan will also host the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) 9 in August in Yokohama, Japan. I am also confident that the assistance in the areas of education, health, gender and mine clearance through international organisations and NGOs has brought great relief to the people at the grass-roots level.
“We are also witnessing the strengthening of economic ties between our two nations. Last November, the Government of Japan decided to support sesame seed production in Zimbabwe. Sesame is important for Japanese food and the export of sesame from Zimbabwe to Japan started recently. Another positive development was the resumption of petalite export after two years. Petalite is essential to produce traditional earthenware pot in Japan. Coffee exports to Japan also resumed after 20 years. Given these developments, it is evident that business activities between Japan and Zimbabwe are expanding gradually and steadily,” he said.
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Deputy Minister, Honourable Sheillah Chikomo weighed in saying Japan’s commitment to peace, global cooperation, and sustainability is in tandem with government’s development strides.
“Government of Zimbabwe continues working hard to improve the business working environment. In this regard, our government has implemented several Ease of Doing Business reforms to make Zimbabwe an investor-friendly and competitive investment destination in Africa. We are optimistic that Expo 2025 Osaka will provide an opportunity to interface with Japanese companies interested in investing in Zimbabwe. We wish to appreciate the support and facilitation from the Japanese government for us to showcase our country at this premier international exhibition.”
Zimbabwe and Japan are cooperating in several fields that include support by Japan in launching the Zimbabwe Satellite 1 (ZIMSAT1), which has revolutionised agricultural and mining mapping along with disaster management.
