Meeting with Director Japan Pacific Islands Centre (PIC)
HE Ambassador Isikeli Mataitoga convened a meeting with Mr. Kazuyoshi OGAWA, the Director for Pacific Islands Centre (PIC) Japan and his Deputy Director Mr. Kurosaki on Wednesday, 14th January at FET. The meeting purposed to discuss Japan’s development interventions pertinent to the region’s sustainable development including respective island states’ priorities. The Ambassador underlined that the Pacific region cannot be a unified group simply because of the geopolitics and diversities of the respective island economies. Hence, the pursuit to request Japan to redesign and tailor its ODA projects and modalities to PICs development needs to ensure its maximum impact. He added that this year Fiji intends to strategise a Japan PICs business trade meeting collaboratively with PICs as means to propel PICs business prospects in Japan. The Centre could assist by identifying and producing a list of Japanese companies either as current importers or investors including prospective businessmen as potential participants.
FET wishes to pursue and identify development projects in Fiji desirable for Japanese businesses. Agro-business is an area of high prospects and interest for Japanese entrepreneurs to undertake in Fiji. Some have expressed interest in exploring horticulture imports from Fiji – rose and sochu production from sweet potatoes etc. Sideline meeting in the margins of the PALM 7 for PICs Leaders and Japanese Corporate leaders such as JAPIA, JETRO including business icons to discuss economic cooperation prospects was zealously discussed. The notion to bring in Fijian tourism and business affiliates to Japan to undertake tourism promotion was also noted. The Ambassador thanked Mr. Ogawa and Mr. Kurosaki for the invaluable exchanges.
Ambassador Mataitoga, Counsellor Korovou, Mr. Ogawa and Mr. Kurosaki