Press Releases
Grant Aid to the Lao People's Democratic Republic: Signing and Exchange of Notes on “the Economic and Social Development Programme”
December 12, 2025
On December 12 (same day local time), in Vientiane, the capital of the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), H.E. Mr. KOIZUMI Tsutomu, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Lao People's Democratic Republic, and H.E Mrs. Phongsamouth ANLAVAN, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, signed and exchanged notes for "the Economic and Social Development Programme" (project up to 1.009 billion yen).
- In recent years, in the Lao PDR has frequently experienced natural disasters such as floods and landslides, particularly in mountainous areas, causing severe impacts on social infrastructure. However, a shortage of road disaster response equipment has made it difficult to secure access routes for emergency vehicles during disasters, hindering rapid rescue operations. Furthermore, delays in restoring main roads have become a major obstacle to the recovery of social infrastructure, especially in remote areas.
- By providing road disaster-response equipment, such as temporary bypass bridges and water drainage vehicles, this programme aims to strengthen the Lao PDR’s capacity to secure emergency access routes and facilitate the rapid restoration of major roads in mountainous areas, including National Road 8, during disasters. Through these efforts, the programme seeks to enhance the Lao PDR’s economic and social resilience, including the early restoration of social infrastructure in remote areas.
- In 2025, marking the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and the Lao PDR, the bilateral relationship was elevated to a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”. This programme is intended to realize the disaster prevention cooperation confirmed by the leaders of both countries and to safeguard the lives and livelihoods of the Lao people from natural disasters. These aims align with the steady implementation of cooperation under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries.
(Reference) Basic Data on the Lao People's Democratic Republic
The country covers 240,000 square kilometers (about the same size as Japan's main island of Honshu) with a population of approximately 7.77 million people, and its gross national income (GNI) per capita is US$2,000 (2024, World Bank).