Japan-Sao Tome and Principe Relations

On August 29, for about 15 minutes, from around 02:25 p.m., Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had a summit meeting with H.E. Mr. Jorge Bom Jesus, Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, in Yokohama Japan. The overview of the meeting is as follows. Prime Minister Jesus is visiting Japan to participate in the Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7) held from August 28 to 30.

1. At the outset, Prime Minister Abe stated, “I welcome Your Excellency’s first visit to Japan,” while referring to the common challenges, including those related to fishery, marine issues, and disasters, since both countries are island countries, and added, “I hope to further deepen the ties between the two countries.” Prime Minister Abe also said that he welcomed the recent change of administration in Sao Tome and Principe through democratic elections. In response, Prime Minister Jesus expressed his gratitude to the warm welcome and his wish to further strengthen the cooperative relationship with Japan. 
2. Following that, Prime Minister Abe expressed that Japan would like to support the establishment of democracy and economic growth in Sao Tome and Principe and announced Japan’s intention to assist the improvement of food security. Prime Minister Abe also added that Japan would like to contribute to the development of fishery, a national strategic priority area of Sao Tome and Principe, through the “Economic and Social Development Programme” signed recently. In response, Prime Minister Jesus expressed his gratitude for Japan’s assistance and referred to his expectation toward expansion of investment by Japanese companies as well as toward further cooperation in the areas such as fishery, infrastructure, tourism and others. 
3. The two leaders also exchanged views regarding cooperation in the international arena, including UN Security Council reform, and the North Korea situation.