Japan-Sri Lanka Relations
Meeting between State Minister for Foreign Affairs KUNIMITSU Ayano and Hon. Major General K.P. Aruna Jayasekara (Retd.), Deputy Minister of Defence, Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
March 18, 2026
On March 17, from 1:00 p.m. for approximately 70 minutes, Dr. KUNIMITSU Ayano, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, held a meeting with Hon. Major General K.P. Aruna Jayasekara (Retd.), Deputy Minister of Defence, Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka during his visit to Japan. The overview is as follows.
- At the outset, State Minister KUNIMITSU welcomed the first visit of Deputy Minister Jayasekara to Japan and stated that she was pleased to see the fact that Japan and Sri Lanka have been cooperating and developing together by supporting each other whenever faced with challenges, based on the long-standing friendship.
- State Minister KUNIMITSU also stated that Japan is committed to promoting cooperation in the area of security including through the OSA (Official Security Assistance) which was provided to Sri Lanka for the first time last year, to contribute together to the peace and stability in the region toward realizing a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP).
- In response, Deputy Minister of Defence Jayasekara expressed his gratitude for cooperation and friendship extended by the Government and people of Japan thus far. He also stated that he would like to further strengthen the close cooperation with Japan in the area of security.