Dispatch of a Special Envoy to the State Funeral of H.E. Mr. El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba, President of the Gabonese Republic

June 12, 2009
Japanese

The Government of Japan will dispatch Mr. Seiken Sugiura, member of the House of Representatives (former Minister of Justice), as the Special Envoy of the Government of Japan to the state funeral of H.E. Mr. El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba, President of the Gabonese Republic, who passed away on June 8 (Mon). The state funeral will be held on June 16 (Tue) in Libreville, the capital of the Gabonese Republic.
H.E. Mr. Bongo served as the President of the Gabonese Republic for approximately 41 years and 6 months. During his administration, he governed the country in a stable manner and also made a great contribution to the stability of the African countries. He also made untiring efforts to strengthen the Japan-Gabon relationship over the long years, including assisting in organizing the TICAD IV Ministerial Preparatory Meeting held in Gabon in March 2008 and greatly contributing to the success of TICAD IV held in May 2008. The Special Envoy is to be dispatched to H.E. Mr. Bongo’s funeral in light of the importance of the bilateral relationship between Japan and Gabon.

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