Press Releases

On November 8 (local time), Ambassador on Special Mission HORII attended the inauguration ceremony of President Rodrigo Paz Pereira. The ceremony was attended by numerous dignitaries from Latin American countries, including the Presidents of Argentine Republic, Republic of Paraguay, Republic of Ecuador, Republic of Chile, and Oriental Republic of Uruguay, as well as Mr. Christopher Landau, Deputy Secretary of State of the United States. Ambassador HORII also attended the luncheon hosted by the President after the ceremony, where he further strengthened relations with dignitaries from various countries.

On November 10 (local time), Ambassador HORII made a courtesy call on President Paz. He handed over a personal letter from Ms. TAKAICHI Sanae, Prime Minister of Japan, expressing wishes for further strengthening of Japan-Bolivia friendly relations, and conveyed congratulations on President Paz's inauguration. He also mentioned that the former President Jaime Paz, father of President Paz, was the first Bolivian president to officially visit Japan, emphasizing the significance of the inauguration of the president with ties to Japan. Ambassador HORII noted the 110th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Bolivia and the 125th anniversary of Japanese immigration to Bolivia in 2024 and Bolivia’s participation in Expo 2025, Osaka, Kansai, Japan, expressing the desire to promote various exchanges and deepen mutual understanding between the two countries. In response, President Paz expressed gratitude for the letter from Prime Minister Takaichi and the visit of the Ambassador. He also stated that under the new administration, Bolivia aims to further deepen its engagement with the international community, and in that context, Japan is an extremely important country, and he expressed his desire to further strengthen bilateral relations with Japan. They concurred to work closely together to further develop bilateral relations, exchanging views on various bilateral topics such as Japan's development cooperation and emergency aid to Bolivia, the improvement of business environment , and the Nikkei community in Bolivia.

On November 8 (local time), Ambassador HORII made a courtesy call on Vice President Edman LARA MONTAÑO. Ambassador HORII congratulated Vice President Lara on his inauguration and expressed his hope that under the leadership of President Paz and Vice President Lara, the cooperative relationship between the two countries would deepen. They exchanged views on various fields, including development cooperation, economics, and the Nikkei community in Bolivia, and confirmed that the close collaboration between the governments of Japan and Bolivia would be continued in order to develop bilateral relations.

On November 10 (local time), Ambassador HORII made a courtesy call on Minister for Foreign Affairs Fernando ARAMAYO CARRASCO. Ambassador HORII congratulated Foreign Minister Aramayo, who is known for his familiarity with Japan, on his inauguration and expressed his hope that under the new administration, Japan-Bolivia bilateral relations would further deepen. They engaged in a wide-ranging discussion on various bilateral and international topics.

On November 9 (local time), Ambassador HORII visited the San Juan and Okinawa settlements in Santa Cruz Department. In the San Juansettlement, he offered flowers at a memorial, visited the Immigration Museum and the San Juan Settlement Cultural Exchange Center, and exchanged views with representatives of Nikkei organizations such as the San Juan Japan-Bolivia Association. On the same day, Ambassador HORII visited the Okinawa settlement, also located in Santa Cruz Department, where he visited the Okinawa-Bolivia Historical Museum and the Okinawa Japan-Bolivia Association Cultural Hall, and exchanged views with the president of the Federation of Japanese Associations in Bolivia and others. During the visit to these settlements, he expressed gratitude to the Nikkei community for their long-standing efforts in Bolivia to earn the trust of Bolivian people and build friendly relations and expressed hope for their continued role as a bridge between Japan and Bolivia.

Ambassador HORII met with representatives of the La Paz Japanese Association, Japanese Social Center of Santa Cruz, Japanese language school officials, and representatives of Japanese companies operating in Bolivia, exchanging views on the current state and challenges of Japanese language education and business in Bolivia.