Africa

April 11, 2018

Basic Data

Diplomatic Relations:

Year Diplomatic Relations:
1963 Independence of Kenya (official recognition)
1964 The Japanese Embassy was established in Kenya
1979 The Kenyan Embassy was established in Tokyo

Japanese Nationals in Kenya:

  • 783 (as of October 2016)

Trade with Japan (2016):

  • Exports to Japan: ¥6.34 billion (cut flower, tea, coffee, fish fillet, nuts, )
  • Imports from Japan: ¥80.7 billion ( car, truck, steel, machinery)

Japan's Economic Cooperation (cumulative total as of 2015):

Kenya has been the biggest recipient of Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) in Sub-Saharan Africa. Japan has supported a wide range of areas including agriculture, water supply and sanitation, health and medical care, education, and environmental preservation.

  • Loans: ¥380.3 billion
  • Grants: ¥125.3 billion
  • Technical cooperation: ¥119.2 billion

Cultural relationship

  • (1) As cultural grant assistance, Japan offered 16 projects of general cultural grant assistance for $6.5 million and 3 projects of Grant Assistance for Cultural Grassroots Projects for $0.8 million. For examples, Japan granted TV program contents ($ 0.4 million in 2007) and research equipments ($0.7 million in 2009).
  • (2) Group of traditional and modern Japanese musicians like “Wadaiko” (=Japanese drum) and Jazz, instructors for traditional sports like “Karate”, instructor for traditional culture like “Ikebana” (flower art) and sports trainer were dispatched. Japanese film festival and Japanese speech contest were also held.
  • (3) Under the JET-program (invitation program of young foreign languages teachers), English teacher assistant, an advisor for international exchange of personnel (=1 person each in 2006) and advisers for sports exchanges (=2 persons in 2011 and 2013) were invited to Japan.

VIP Visits

From Japan to Kenya
Year Name
1979 Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sunao Sonoda
1981 Director of the Environment Agency, Hyousuke Kujiraoka
1983 H.I.H.The Crown Prince and Princess
1994 Minister of State for Defense, Tokuichiro Tamazawa
1997 Director of the Environment Agency, Michiko Ishii
1999 Former Prime Minister, Ryutaro Hashimoto
H.I.H. Prince and Princess TAKAMADO
2001 Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori
2003 Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Tetsuro Yano
Parliamentary Secretary of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Yosuke Tsuruho
2004 Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Katsuyuki Kawai
2005 Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Keiichiro Fukushima
Senior Vice- Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ichiro Aisawa
2006 Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Shoichi Nakagawa
Minister of Environment, Masatoshi Wakabayashi
2007 Senior Vice-Minister of Finance Kazunori Tanaka
Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Takeshi Iwaya
Parliamentary Secretary of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Yuji Sawa
2008 Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Itsunori Onodera
Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Nobuhide Minorikawa (Eastern Africa Public and Private Sector Joint Mission)
2009 Former Prime Minister, Yasuo Fukuda
Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Yasutoshi Nishimura
2010 H.I.H. The Crown Prince
Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Environment, Nobumori Otani
2011 Parliamentary Senior Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ryuji Yamane
2012 Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Toshiyuki Kato
2013 Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Toshiko Abe
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Toshimitsu Mogi
Mr. Katsuyuki Kawai (Special Envoy of the Prime Minister Shinzo Abe)
2014 Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hirotaka Ishihara
Senior Vice-Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Taku Eto
Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Environment, Hideki Makihara
Senior Vice-Minister of Environment, Tomokatsu Kitagawa
Senior Vice-Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Kotaro Nogami
2015 Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Motoo Hayashi, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Miki Yamada, Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Hidemichi Sato, (WTO Ministerial Meeting)
2016 Special Advisor to the Prime Minister, Katsuyuki Kawai (May, August)
2016 Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Minister for Foreign Affairs Fumio Kishida, Minister for Health, Labour and Welfare, Yasuhisa Shiozaki, (TICAD VI)
2017 State Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Hiroyuki Yoshiie
2017 Mr. Katsuyuki Kawai (Special Envoy of the Prime Minister Shinzo Abe)
From Kenya to Japan
Year Name
1981 Foreign Minister, Robert Ouko
1982 President, Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi
1987 Minister for Finance, George Saitoti
1989 President, Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi
1987 Deputy President and Minister for Finance, George Saitoti
1990 President, Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi (Enthronement ceremony)
1993 Deputy President, George Saitoti (TICAD I)
1994 Attorney General, Amos Wako
Minister of Finance, Musalia Mudavadi
1995 Vice President, George Saitoti (Funeral ceremony for former Prime Minister Mr.Takeo Fukuda)
1998 Minister of East African and Regional Cooperation K.N.K.Biwott (EAS Ministerial delegation)
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bonaya Godana (TICAD II)
2000 Vice President, George Saitoti (Funeral ceremony for the former Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi)
2001 Minister of Planning, Paul Adhu Awiti (TICAD Ministerial meeting)
2003 Minister of Trade and Industry, Mukhisa Kituyi (WTO Tokyo informal Ministerial meeting)
Minister of Water Resources, Martha Wangari Karua (World Water Forum)
Minister of Culture and Sports, Najib Balala
Minister of Finance, Daudi Mwiralia
Minister of Energy, Ochillo Ayacko
Minister of Planning and National Development, Peter Anyang’ Nyong'o (TICAD III)
2004 Minister of Foreign Affairs, Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka
Minister of Tourism and Information, Raphael Tuju
President, Mwai Kibaki, accompanied by;
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chirau Ali Mwakwere,
Minister of Trade and Industry, Mukhisa Kituyi,
Minister of Planning and National Development, Peter Anyang’ Nyong'o,
Minister of Information and Communication, Raphael Tuju (TICAD III)
2005 Wangari Maathai (Nobel Peace Prize Laureate) (February and March)
Minister of Planning and National Development, Peter Anyang’ Nyong'o,
Minister of Health, Charity Ngilu
Minister of Trade and Industry, Mukhisa Kituyi, (June and August)
Minister of Tourism and Wildlife, Morris Dzoro
2006 Minister of Tourism and Wildlife, Morris Dzoro
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Raphael Tuju
2008 President, Mwai Kibaki, accompanied by;
Deputy President, Uhuru Kenyatta
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Moses Wetangula
Minister of Finance, Amos Kimunya
Minister of Planning, National Development and Vision 2030, Wycliffe Ambesta Oparanya
Minister of Road, Kipkalya Kones,
Minister of Agriculture, William Ruto,
Minister of Tourism, Najib Balala (TICAD IV)
Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Sally Jepngetich Koskgey
(Japan-Africa Ministerial meeting for science technology)
2009 Minister of Information and Communication, Samuel Poghisio (TICAD IV Follow-up Symposium)
2010 Prime Minister, Raila Amollo Odinga
Former Assistant Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Wangari Maathai (Nobel Peace Prize Laureate)
2011 Deputy President and Minister for Local Government, Musalia Mudavadi
2012 Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samson Ongeri
Minister of Special Programs, Esther Murugi Mathenge (UN Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction)
Minister of Tourism, Danson Mwazo (World travel expo)
Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Margaret Kamar (STS Forum)
Minister of Finance, Njeru Githae (IMF World bank general assembly)
Speaker of national assembly, Kenneth Otiato Marende
2013 Vice President, William arap Ruto
Cabinet Secretary for Industrialization and Enterprise Development, Adan Mohammed
Cabinet Secretary for Transport and Infrastructure, Michael Kamau
Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum, Davis Chirchir (TICAD V)
Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Felix Koskei
Cabinet Secretary for Education, Science and Technology, Jacob Kaimenyi
2014 Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum, Davis Chirchir
Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Felix Koskei
Cabinet Secretary for Tourism, Danson Mwazo (Tourism Expo Japan)
Cabinet Secretary for Education, Science and Technology, Jacob Kaimenyi
Cabinet Secretary for Transport and Infrastructure, Michael Kamau (ESD World Conference)
2015 President, Uhuru Kenyatta, accompanied by;
Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Amina Mohamed
Cabinet Secretary for Transport and Infrastructure, Michael S. Kamau
Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury, Henry Rotich
(UN Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction)
Senate Speaker, Ekwee Ethuro
Cabinet Secretary for Industrialization and Enterprise Development, Adan Abdulla Mohammed
First Lady, Margaret Kenyatta (WAW!2015)
Cabinet Secretary for Health, James Macharia
2016 Speaker of the National Assembly, Justin Muturi
2017 Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Amina Mohammed
Cabinet Secretary for Health, Cleopa Mailu
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