Japan-Malawi Relations

On August 30, for about 10 minutes, from 9:05 am, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe received a courtesy call from the Right Honorable Everton Chimulirenji, Vice President of the Republic of Malawi, in Yokohama, Japan. The overview of the courtesy call is as follows. Vice President Chimulirenji 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 remarked, “I welcome the attendance of Vice President Chimulirenji at TICAD7,” and stated that Japan and Malawi have always maintained friendly relations, and Japan looked forward to advancing close cooperation with Malawi. In response, Vice President Chimulirenji stated, “I appreciate your warm welcome,” and offered his congratulations on His Majesty the Emperor’s enthronement. Vice President Chimulirenji also mentioned that he was pleased with the development of friendly relations between Japan and Malawi since his country’s independence.
2. Following that, Prime Minister Abe conveyed his condolences over the devastation caused by Cyclone Idai this April, and stated that Japan is currently extending assistance hoping to support Malawi’s early recovery. He announced Japan’s intention to cooperate in alleviating traffic congestion and facilitating logistics in Malawi, which is located along the Nacala Corridor and faces increasing traffic volumes. In addition, Prime Minister Abe stated that Japan will continue to support human resources development in Malawi. In response, Vice President Chimulirenji expressed his gratitude for the support provided by the international community, including Japan, for recovery from the devastation caused by Cyclone Idai. He then showed his expectation towards cooperation in the fields of infrastructure and disaster prevention and the promotion of investment from Japanese companies. Additionally, Vice President Chimulirenji commented that he highly appreciated the activities of JICA’s Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers. 
3. The two sides also exchanged views regarding cooperation in the international arena, including UN Security Council reform, and the North Korea situation.