Japan seeks stronger ties with SA
1 September 2010
A delegation of Japanese government and business representatives will hold talks with South African representatives in a move to strengthen ties amid growing global competition for metals and other resources on the African continent.
Deputy International Relations and Cooperation Minister Sue Van Der Merwe will chair the meeting between the delegations and her Japanese counterpart Osamu Fujimura in Cape Town this week.
Japan is eyeing expanding exports to South Africa related to the construction of infrastructure in various fields such as transport.
"The purpose of the visit is to investigate opportunities in the areas of trade and investment within infrastructural development projects in the energy and transport sectors," department spokesperson Saul Molobi said on Tuesday.
High level delegation
The high-level delegation includes Japanese Vice-Minister of Economy Chiaki Takahashi, as well as business representatives from companies such as Toyota, Hitachi, Sumitomo, Mitsubishi, Nippon Export and Investment Insurance.
There are currently about 86 Japanese companies operating in South Africa, and Japan was the biggest export market for South Africa in 2005, 2006 and 2008. However, due to the global economic recession, Japan dropped to third position in 2009.
Bilateral trade between the two countries is expected to recover from 2010. Two-way trade amounted to R107-billion in 2008, with South Africa enjoying a trade surplus of R25-billion.
Fruitful bilateral relations
The two countries share deep and fruitful relations. They cooperate in various fields, including science and technology, public administration, education, business and sport. More than 1 200 South Africans have been trained during various courses in Japan.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) currently dispatches more than 20 experts and volunteers to South Africa to help train government officials in various fields, as well as maths and science teachers and artisans.
This year marks the 100th year since the establishment of an official contact between South Africa and Japan, with the appointment of an Honorary Consul of Japan, Sir Julius Jeppe, in Cape Town in 1910.
According to Molobi, programmes of events have been organised in both South Africa and Japan to promote people-to-people contacts and a better understanding of the two countries' respective cultures.
Source: BuaNews
