Laos,
Japan strengthen cooperation
Japan will expand
its aid contributions to Laos over the next two years
and promote trade and investment in the nation,
according to the Japanese news agency Kyodo last Thursday.
Japanese Prime
Minister Yasuo Fukuda expressed his intention to
continue supporting Laos when he met President Choummaly
Sayasone in Tokyo on the same day.
Cooperation
efforts on environmental issues were among topics
discussed between the two leaders, and they agreed to
“participate actively” in establishing an effective
carbon-capping framework to be implemented after the
expiration of the Kyoto Protocol in 2012, with the
participation of all major emitters.
President
Choummaly Sayasone and his delegation returned to
Vientiane on Saturday, after finishing a four day visit
to Japan .
During the visit,
President Choummaly attended an international conference
organised by renowned Japanese financial newspaper Nikkei.
He also had an audience with Japanese
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko.
The visit was the
first by a President of Laos to Japan . The two nations
established diplomatic relations in 1955, since when the
relationship between the two countries has continually
strengthened and developed.
Regular exchanges
between high ranking officials of the two countries have
contributed significantly to strengthening relations and
cooperation efforts.
In 1995, then Lao
Prime Minister Khamtay Siphandone paid an official visit
to Japan and in May last year Prime Minister Bouasone
Bouphavanh visited the country.
At the meeting of
the Lao and Japanese prime ministers in 2007, they
recalled the half century of friendly relations between
the two countries. The two leaders discussed how to
further strengthen the bilateral relationship and
address regional and global challenges together.
The visit to Laos
by Japanese Imperial Highnesses Prince and Princess
Akishino in July 1999 was the first such visit and
showed the friendly relations between the two nations.
The visit by
members of the Japanese royal family paved the way for
visits to Laos by former Japanese prime ministers Keizo
Obuchi in 2000 and Junichiro Koizumi in 2004.
According to the
Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the end of 1997
there were 22 direct Japanese investments in Laos
totalling about US$14 million. Thirty-eight Japanese
companies are currently operating in Laos .
Since 1991, Japan
has been the top-ranking aid donor to Laos with funding
going towards human resources development, agriculture
and forestry, and industrial infrastructure.
Since 1975
Japan has provided official development assistance of
about US$1.8 billion to Laos .
