Press Conferences

Mr. Koichi Mizushima: First, the visit to Japan by H.E Ms. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women. From March 25 to 28, a delegation led by Her Excellency, Ms. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women will visit Japan at the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During her stay, Executive Director Mlambo-Ngcuka will pay courtesy calls on government leaders, and will also exchange views with a wide range of interested parties, including Diet members and organizations concerned in Japan. This visit to Japan by Executive Director Mlambo-Ngcuka is expected to further strengthen the cooperative relationship between the Government of Japan and UN Women.

Mr. Koichi Mizushima: Second, the dispatch of a Self-Defense Forces Member to the Ethiopian International Peace Keeping Training Centre (EIPKTC). The Government of Japan has decided to dispatch one member of the Japan Self-Defense Forces to the Ethiopian International Peace Keeping Training Centre, EIPKTC. One JSDF member, Lieutenant Colonel Norihisa Urakami, will spend nine weeks from March 24 in the Programme to Establish the EIPKTC which began in January 2013. He is going to design and develop a curriculum for the “Conflict Prevention, Management and Post-Conflict Recovery Course” as an international consultant. Based on the recognition that peace is a prerequisite for development, the Government of Japan has been providing assistance to African peacekeeping operations training centers with the goals of enhancing the peacekeeping capabilities of African countries and of maintaining the stability of the region. The dispatch of this JSDF member is also being undertaken as part of Japan’s support for the EIPKTC. The Government of Japan continues to provide meaningful assistance towards peace and security in Africa not only on the financial front, but also by drawing upon Japan’s qualified human resources.