JICA President Akihiko Tanaka visited the Dominican Republic and Jamaica in the Caribbean region from July 25 to August 1. In the Dominican Republic, his first visit as JICA President, he visited the local Nikkei community and attended a ceremony commemorating 68 years since the start of emigration. He also met with President Luis Abinader and other leaders during the 90th anniversary of diplomatic relations and the 60th anniversary of Japan’s ODA to the Dominican Republic. In Jamaica, which celebrated the 60th anniversary of its diplomatic relations with Japan, they met with Prime Minister Andrew Holness and other government officials and signed a basic agreement on future cooperation based on the J-J (Japan-Jamaica) Partnership.
- Dominican Republic
President Tanaka participated in the emigration commemoration ceremony held in Santo Domingo on July 28. The ceremony is held annually in honor of July 29, 1956, the day the first group of migrants to the Dominican Republic settled in the Dajabon settlement near the Haitian border.
Noting that JICA is an organization responsible for the history of emigration to the Dominican Republic, President Tanaka praised the achievements of emigrants and Nikkei who have contributed greatly to the development of friendship and goodwill between the two countries, and expressed his renewed respect for the history built by the emigrants. He also expressed his high expectations for the future role of the Nikkei community as a bridge between the two countries and the importance of JICA’s cooperation in human resource development for the next generation.
Visit to Dahabon Settlement Site Flowers offered to the Settlement Monument
Prior to this, President Tanaka visited Dajabon, where he inspected the former residence of the emigrants and the current community center, and interacted with Nikkei families in the area. In Santo Domingo, he interacted with Nikkei children and young leaders who will lead the next generation of Nikkei in Santo Domingo, heard reports from junior high school students who visited Japan as part of the Nikkei Community Next Generation Training Program, and exchanged views on the 70th anniversary of the emigration in 2026 and the future of exchange.
Next Generation Events
He also met with President Luis Abinader, who was reelected in June of this year, and other government officials. As Japan will celebrate the 90th anniversary of its diplomatic relations with the Dominican Republic and the 60th anniversary of the start of ODA to the Dominican Republic in 2024, the two countries confirmed their commitment to promote sustainable socioeconomic development between the two countries, which have a good relationship based on the principles of democracy. The President expressed his desire to learn from Japan’s various development experiences as a role model in the process of developing and becoming a high-income country. He also expressed his admiration and gratitude for the significant contributions of the Japanese American community to the socio-economic development of the country.
Meeting with President Luis Abinader
- Jamaica
Following his visit to Jamaica, President Tanaka met with Prime Minister Andrew Holness. Mr. Holness expressed his appreciation for Japan’s recently completed Emergency Communications System Improvement Plan, a grant aid provided by Japan in response to Hurricane Beryl that struck the Caribbean in July, which helped to secure communications systems in the aftermath of the hurricane, and for the emergency relief supplies provided this time, which greatly contributed to the early mitigation of damage after the disaster.
As the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations approaches, we discussed and signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) to strengthen the “J-J (Japan-Jamaica) Partnership” in order to promote initiatives that will lead to the enhancement of disaster prevention capacity, improvement of public safety through strengthening local police, and economic development, taking into account the intentions of the Government of Jamaica.
Meeting with Prime Minister Holness Memorandum of Understanding on “J-J (Japan-Jamaica) Partnership
Finally, we visited the Clayton Estate, a coffee plantation owned by the local subsidiary of UCC Ueshima Coffee Co.
JICA has supported the development of the coffee industry in the Blue Mountains region of Jamaica since the 1980s through the Blue Mountain Coffee Development Project and the Blue Mountain New Cultivation Area Development Pilot Project. During the visit, the participants shared the current situation and challenges of the coffee industry, such as declining yields due to natural disasters and the effects of coffee rust and pests, as well as the lack of future coffee growers, who are shunned by young people because of the heavy labor involved.
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