Countries & Regions

On June 3, for about 15 minutes from 10:35 am, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had a meeting with H.E. Mr. Michael Chilufya Sata, President of the Republic of Zambia, in Yokohama Japan. The following is the gist of the meeting. President Sata is visiting Japan to participate in the Fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V) held from June 1 to 3.

1. At the beginning of the meeting, Prime Minister Abe welcomed President Sata’s visit all the way to Japan and expressed his hope for development both in Japan and Africa on the occasion of TICAD V, which marks the 20th anniversary of the TICAD process. President Sata expressed his sincere gratitude for the invitation of his visit to Japan and Japan’s effort in organizing TICAD V. President Sata added that, in Africa, the economy is still in difficult situation and the job creation is a challenge. President Sata expressed his gratitude for Japan’s advanced technical cooperation and investment to Zambia, and suggested his idea to hold the next TICAD in Africa.
2. Prime Minister Abe said that Japanese companies expressed considerable interest in Zambia and Japan would work with Zambia to improve the investment environment there. Prime Minister Abe added that the government of Japan recently has decided to provide two grant aids both for the upgrading medical facilities and the expansion of the cold chain. Regarding the next TICAD, Prime Minister said that he would consult with other African leaders. President Sata expressed his expectation of a further increase of Japanese presence in Africa.
3. The two leaders also exchanged opinions concerning cooperation in the international arena, including the development in Africa.