Courtesy Call from Representatives of the Ship for Southeast Asian and Japanese Youth Program and Others
Cabinet Secretariat, Tuesday, October 24, 2017
[Provisional Translation]
On October 24, 2017, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe received a courtesy call from youth representatives participating in the Ship for Southeast Asian and Japanese Youth Program (SSEAYP) and others at the Prime Minister's Office.
The Prime Minister said in his opening address,
“I would like to sincerely welcome all of you to Japan who have come as representatives of the countries participating in the 44th SSEAYP.
Since I became Prime Minister, I have visited all 10 of your countries. I enjoyed warm hospitality in all the places I visited. This year ASEAN celebrated its 50th anniversary. I anticipate that ASEAN will continue to take the lead on regional stability and prosperity as a partner with which Japan shares fundamental values.
Japan has learned a lot through its cooperation with ASEAN. In addition, we have thought together and acted together for the further development of the ASEAN region.
It is people who will carve out the future, and this rests on the capabilities of young people in particular. SSEAYP is one of the cooperation programs that attach importance to such people. A total of 12,000 young people have participated in this program so far, and building on this experience they are currently fulfilling active roles in their respective fields.
During your voyage you will likely make many new friends with different histories, cultures, and values. I hope that close bonds will be fostered by having extensive conversations with each other, learning about the wonderful qualities of each other’s countries, and affirming your pride in the country that you were born and raised.
As the representative speaker stated earlier, it is truly up to all of you to create a bright future. The future is not unchangeable. It rests on what you do today.
I hope that you will draw upon the valuable experiences and the friendships you will foster aboard the ship in your endeavors to contribute to the peace and development of Asia and the world.
In conclusion, I would like to extend my heartfelt wishes for your continued success.”
President Trump to Visit Japan
Foreign Affairs, Tuesday, October 24, 2017
1. The Honorable Donald John Trump, President of the United States of America and his spouse, Mrs. Melania Trump will pay an Official Visit to Japan from November 5 to November 7, 2017.
2. During their stay in Japan, the President and his spouse will make a State Call on their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan. President Trump will hold a summit meeting with Mr. Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan. President Trump, together with Prime Minister Abe, is also scheduled to meet with family members of the abductees by North Korea.
3. President Trump’s visit will be an ideal opportunity for the two leaders to address the challenges faced by the international community and demonstrate to the world the strong bond of Japan-U.S. Alliance at a time when the security environment in the region, including North Korea, is becoming increasingly severe. The Government of Japan sincerely welcomes the visit of the President and his spouse.
(Footnote)
(1) This will be the Honorble Mr. Trump’s first visit to Japan as President.
(2) In the past, President Trump and Prime Minister Abe held meetings on the occasions of Prime Minister Abe’s visit to the U.S. in February 2017, G7 Taormina Summit in May 2017, G20 Hamburg Summit in July 2017 and General Assembly of the United Nations in September 2017.
President of the Republic of the Philippines to Visit Japan
Foreign Affairs, Wednesday, October 25, 2017
1. His Excellency Mr. Rodrigo R. Duterte, President of the Republic of the Philippines will pay a visit to Japan from Sunday, October 29 to Tuesday, October 31, 2017.
2. During his stay in Japan, Mr. Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan will hold a summit meeting with President Duterte.
3. The Government of Japan hopes the visit will be a good opportunity to discuss regional and global issues with President Duterte prior to the ASEAN-related Summit Meetings in November.
(Footnote)
(1) Following the first visit in October 2016. this will be His Excellency Mr. Rodrigo R. Duterte’s second visit to Japan as President.
(2) President Duterte and Prime Minister Abe have had meeting three times before.
World Assembly for Women: WAW! 2017
Foreign Affairs, Wednesday, October 25, 2017
1. The World Assembly for Women (WAW! 2017) will be held at the Tokyo Prince Hotel from November 1 to 3.
2. Ms. Ivanka Trump, Advisor to the President of the United States, will attend a special event taking place at this Assembly on November 3, and the Assembly will also be attended by top leaders active in the field of women’ issues from various regions and international organizations worldwide, including Ms. Kristalina Georgieva, Chief Executive Officer for the World Bank, and Ms. Pramila Patten, UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict.
3. This Assembly is an international symposium that has been held since 2014 as one part of initiatives aimed at realizing “A Society Where Women Shine” inside and outside Japan, which is one of the Abe Administration’s top priority issues. This will be the fourth time it has been held. The theme of WAW! 2017 will be “WAW! in Changing World,” and it is scheduled to feature discussions on policies for acting strategically so that women may shine in a changing world, while focusing on specific efforts and accomplishments in supporting women, as well as discussions that focus on supporting women entrepreneurs.
JICA seminar in Paris promotes public-private collaboration under the "Japan-France Plan for Africa"
JICA, Monday, September 11, 2017
Overview
In the context of the TICAD VI held in August 2016 and the "Japan-France Plan for Sustainable Development, Health and Security in Africa (Japan-France Plan for Africa)" agreed between the two governments in 2015, private sectors of both countries are increasingly participating in and collaborating for development projects in Africa.
For the purpose of further promoting Japan-France partnership for supporting socio-economic development in Africa, JICA organized a seminar to present its latest activities and cooperation strategies in seven African countries, inviting French and Japanese companies as an occasion to facilitate information exchange.
Details
The Chief Representatives of JICA offices from the seven countries in Africa (Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Madagascar, Senegal and the Democratic Republic of Congo) presented their perspectives on the political and economic situations, business potentials, and JICA projects with the aim to promote TICAD VI goals and to pursue Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Around 40 French and Japanese companies from various sectors joined the seminar, including trading, manufacturing, finance, communications, and infrastructure.
Lively discussions were held demonstrating strong interests in participating in development projects in Africa. The companies also expressed high expectations for accelerated implementation of the "Japan-France Plan for Africa" through enhanced collaboration between the private sectors of the two countries and JICA.
Signing of Memorandum of Cooperation with The Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa: Furthering efforts to achieve the SDGs in Africa
JICA, Monday, October 23, 2017
On October 23, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and The Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A) signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC). The MOC was signed by Shinichi Kitaoka, president of JICA, and Belay Begashaw, director general of the SDGC/A, at the JICA headquarters in Tokyo.
The MoC is a framework for cooperation and will facilitate collaboration between JICA and the SDGC/A to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which were adopted by the United Nations in September 2015, in Africa through the promotion of innovation and knowledge co-creation partnering with private companies, academia and civil society.
The SDGC/A is an autonomous non-profit international organization established in September 2015 in Kigali, the capital city of the Republic of Rwanda, by resolution of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN),* which was commissioned under the auspices of Ban Ki-moon, then secretary-general of the United Nations. Objectives of the SDGC/A include promoting practical solutions for preparing and implementing SDG-related projects, and mobilizing global scientific and technological expertise to work on such efforts.
With the intention of working with its domestic and foreign partners in contributing to the achievement of the SDGs, JICA signed the MoC with the SDGC/A to promote cooperation in achieving, in particular, SDG Goal 2 (Zero Hunger), Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) and Goal 4 (Quality Education for All). Through the MoC, JICA will also focus on cooperation in gathering and analyzing indices to monitor and evaluate progress toward SDGs achievement in Africa.
As a development cooperation agency, JICA has established a record of furthering initiatives that include the promotion of rice production with the aim of producing enough rice for approximately 200 million people, or 20 percent of the population of sub-Saharan Africa, and the improvement of the health of mothers and children through the Mother and Child Health Handbook, which has been distributed to more than 25 countries around the world including 12 in Africa. Other examples of initiatives include the improvement of the educational environment for children through School for All projects, which has spread to 40,000 schools in sub-Saharan Africa, and the enhancement of higher education through cooperation with the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Kenya to develop human resources capable of addressing social development. Through its partnership with the SDGC/A, JICA will further spread the knowledge and technology acquired through such cooperation to contribute to the achievement of the SDGs in every country in Africa.
* The Sustainable Development Solutions Network is building a network primarily with universities and research institutions at the national and regional level with the objectives of promoting practical solutions for preparing and implementing SDG-related projects, and mobilizing global scientific and technological expertise to work on those efforts. The director is Jeffrey Sachs (professor at Columbia University), and the organization has offices in New York and Paris.
