The Twelfth Meeting of Japan-CARICOM Consultations

August 2007

On August 9 (Thu), the Twelfth Japan-Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Consultations was held at the CARICOM headquarters in the Republic of Guyana. The meeting was attended on the Japanese side by Mr. Koichiro Seki, permanent representative of the Government of Japan to the CARICOM as well as Japanese Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago, Mr. Masashi Mizukami, Deputy Director-General of the Latin American and Caribbean Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and others, and on the CARICOM side by the Deputy secretaries and others from the member states and the representative of the CARICOM secretariat.

The gist of the meeting is as follows:

1. In his opening remarks, Ambassador Seki read a message of Mr. Taro Aso, Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs for the meeting.
2. There was an active discussion on cooperation between Japan and CARICOM in such fields as environment and disaster-reduction policies, tourism and fishing, promotion of trade and investment, and enhancement of cooperation in the international arena including at the United Nations. At the end of the meeting, both sides issued a joint communiqué.