Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Co-operatives, SMEs, and Communications Meets with Dr Yohei Sasakawa, Chairman of Nippon Foundation

The Honourable Manoa Kamikamica, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Co-operatives, Small and Medium Enterprises, and Communications, met with Dr. Yohei Sasakawa, Chairman of the Nippon Foundation, at the Nippon Foundation Office in Tokyo.

(l-r: Dr Yohei Sasakawa with Deputy Prime Minister Kamikamica)

In his opening remarks, Chairman Yohei Sasakawa commended Fiji’s leadership in promoting peace and stability across the Pacific. He emphasized his lifelong mission—spanning over 50 years—of supporting partner nations, including Fiji, in the global fight to eliminate leprosy.

Chairman Sasakawa also reflected on his recent discussions with Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka during the 10th Pacific Islands Leaders’ Meeting (PALM10) held in Tokyo in July 2024. These talks reaffirmed the strong bilateral ties and shared priorities between Fiji and Japan.

Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica conveyed the warm greetings and appreciation of Prime Minister Rabuka and the people of Fiji. He recognized Mr. Sasakawa’s enduring contributions to Fiji and the broader Pacific, particularly in areas such as disaster preparedness, ocean governance and climate change, maritime security, health and education, poverty alleviation. 

He also expressed gratitude for the Nippon Foundation’s role in organizing the Coast Guard Global Summit in Tokyo in October 2023, which included participation from the Fiji Navy.

Fiji and the Nippon Foundation would seek to collaborate on further cultural exchanges to mark the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Fiji and Japan and a high-level Fijian delegation may also visit Osaka on 25 September 2025 to celebrate Fiji’s National Day.    

Chairman Sasakawa concluded with a call for deeper international cooperation to address the unique challenges faced by small island nations. He expressed hope that successful agricultural knowledge transfer programs in Africa could be extended to the Pacific to bolster food security in the region.

End.

Embassy of the Republic of Fiji

TOKYO

28 May 2025