Japan-Lesotho Relations

October 21, 2019
(Photo1: Cabinet Public Relations Office) (Photo: Cabinet Public Relations Office)
(Photo2: Cabinet Public Relations Office) (Photo: Cabinet Public Relations Office)
On October 21, commencing at 3:10 p.m. for approximately 10 minutes, Mr. ABE Shinzo, Prime Minister of Japan, held a meeting with H.M. King Letsie III, King of the Kingdom of Lesotho. The overview of the meeting is as follows. The meeting was attended by Mr. OKADA Naoki, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary and others from the Japanese side, and the Hon. Mothepu MAHAPA, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations, H.E. Dr. Palesa MOSETSE, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Lesotho to Japan and others from the Lesotho side.

1. Opening Remarks

Prime Minister Abe welcomed the visit by H. M. King Letsie III to Japan and stated, “I truly appreciate the kindness and consideration you showed to people suffering from the Great East Japan Earthquake when you visited the affected regions on your previous visit November 2016. I would like to take this opportunity to further deepen the friendship and cooperation between our two countries.”
 
In response, H. M. King Letsie III expressed his congratulations on the accession of His Majesty the Emperor, and his sympathies to those affected by the Typhoon Hagibis on behalf of Lesothian people.

2. Bilateral Relations

Prime Minister Abe stated that “Lesotho is a trustful partner,” while also expressing appreciation for Lesotho’s steadfast support for Japan in the international arena. Referring to the outcomes of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) process, he also stated that Japan would provide assistance to help develop human resources and strengthen social infrastructure of Lesotho.
 
In response, H. M. King Letsie III expressed his appreciation on behalf of Lesothian people for the support provided by the Government of Japan for many years, especially for the support for education, human resource development and eradication of starvation.
 
Prime Minister Abe also expressed the hope that the young people who studied in Japan under the ABE Initiative, which aimed to promote human resource development efforts in Lesotho, would play a role as “bridges between our two countries.”
 

3. Others

King Letsie III also stated that he looked forward to visiting a farm in Hokkaido soon, and wished to learn from Japanese breeders the art of raising horses, saying that Japanese race horses left brilliant results in Dubai and European countries.

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