A bilateral meeting was held last Thursday with President Hilda Heine and members of Cabinet with the Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Japan Kentaro Sonoura. Ambassador of Japan Norio Saito led Sonoura and his delegation to the Cabinet conference room.
President Heine extended her appreciation to Sonoura and officials for visiting the Marshall Islands. She said during the PALM 8 leaders summit in Iwaki City earlier this year, she met with the Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe, and discussed many issues of mutual interest. She also conveyed her congratulations to Osaka, Japan for winning the bid to host the World Expo in 2025.
At last week’s meeting, they exchanged views on Indo-Pacific Strategy, maritime issues, and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) projects. President Heine reiterated her gratitude to Japan for its ongoing assistance in the areas of disaster risk management and economic partnership and development in tuna fisheries. Other matters discussed during the bilateral meeting included the RMI Trust Fund, RMI’s running for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council, water security, and other areas of mutual interest.
Concluding the bilateral meeting, President Heine extended an invitation to Sonoura to the upcoming Micronesian President’s Summit. She reaffirmed RMI’s commitment to deepening the bilateral relations between the two nations.
Following the bilateral meeting, a dinner reception was held at Marshall Islands Resort Lomalo Room with leaders from both nations.
Read more about this in the January 25, 2019 edition of the Marshall Islands Journal.