Japan-Kenya Relations
Japan-Kenya Summit Meeting
August 20, 2025
(Photo: Cabinet Public Affairs Office)
On August 20, commencing at 9:45a.m., for approximately 20 minutes, Mr. ISHIBA Shigeru, Prime Minister of Japan, held a summit meeting with H. E. Dr. William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya, who is visiting Japan to participate in the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9). The overview of the meeting is as follows:
- At the outset, Prime Minister ISHIBA welcomed the President Ruto’s consecutive visit to Japan in two years and expressed his desire to further strengthen cooperation with Kenya, a like-minded country that shares values and principles, for the realization of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)”. In response, President Ruto commended Japan’s efforts through TICAD to date and expressed his desire to further strengthen bilateral relations and cooperation in the international arena, including high-level visits.
- Following that, Prime Minister ISHIBA expressed his desire to advance the development of Mombasa Port, which is important for FOIP, and also to cooperate with Kenya under the Indian Ocean-Africa Economic Zone Initiative. In addition, Prime Minister ISHIBA referred to Japanese companies’ expanding presence in Kenya, and welcomed the progress made in supporting the expansion of manufacturing production through development of human resources in the automotive and other industries, as well as the signing of the Term Sheet for a yen loan, backed by Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI). In response, President Ruto expressed his gratitude for Japan’s support and stated his intention to continue to work closely together toward strengthening the bilateral trade relations and promoting further investment by Japanese companies.
- The two leaders confirmed to work together to respond to various regional and international challenges, such as the situations in Africa as well as the United Nations Security Council reform.