Japan-Republic of South Africa Relations
Japan-South Africa Summit Telephone Talk
On February 23, commencing at 4:30 p.m. for approximately 20 minutes, Mr. Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, held a telephone talk with H.E. Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa. The overview is as follows:
1. Firstly, Prime Minister Abe congratulated President Ramaphosa on his inauguration as the President of South Africa, and on the year that marks a centennial anniversary of the late President Nelson Mandela, paid tribute to South Africa for having taken a long walk to freedom and achieved reconciliation. Prime Minister Abe told President Ramaphosa that Japan will continue to steadily implement its commitment at the Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI) on the measures to invest for the future of Africa (PDF)
, and support South Africa’s industrialization and capacity building of the youths.
2. President Ramaphosa expressed his gratitude toward Japan’s various support and contribution to South Africa, including human resources development of South Africans, and expressed his hope to visit Japan on such occasions as G20 Summit and TICAD7 meetings to be held in 2019.
3. The two leaders also confirmed that both countries would cooperate in the international arena, sharing common fundamental values such as freedom, democracy, human rights and rule of law.
4. Furthermore, Prime Minister Abe and President Ramaphosa exchanged cheering words on the Rugby World Cup to be held in Japan in 2019, looking forward to seeing the both national teams to do their best.