Japan-Sierra Leone Relations

On August 29, for about 15 minutes, from 6:05 pm, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a summit Meeting with H. E. Brigadier General (Rtd.) Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, in Yokohama, Japan. The overview of the meeting is as follows. President Bio is visiting Japan to participate in the Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 7) held from August 28 to 30.

1. At the outset, Prime Minister Abe stated, “I welcome your first visit to Japan and your first participation in TICAD,” and expressed hope to strengthen bilateral business relations, which TICAD focuses on, as well as willingness to support nation-building and human resource development of Sierra Leone.  In response, President Bio remarked, “I am grateful for the warm reception,” and expressed appreciation for Japan’s continued support.
2. Following that, Prime Minister Abe stated that Japan will support employment creation effort in Sierra Leone in cooperation with the private sector, and that Japan intends to advance technical cooperation contributing to the development of Sierra Leone through the recently signed Technical Cooperation Agreement. Furthermore, Prime Minister Abe expressed Japan’s intention to support the improvement of food security. In response, President Bio welcomed the recent development between the two countries including the signing of Technical Cooperation Agreement and strengthening of JICA field office, and expressed hope for support from Japan in the fields of education, human resource development, and electricity sector, as well as entry of Japanese companies to Sierra Leone.
3. The two leaders also discussed cooperation between Japan and Sierra Leone, the Presidency of the Committee of Ten, in the international arena, including UN Security Council reform, and exchanged views regarding the North Korea situation.