TOKYO, Japan — The Japanese Government will be moving to strengthen relations with the Caribbean Community (Caricom) through a targeted programme of cultural and people exchanges, according to Torao Sato, director of the foreign ministry’s Latin American and Caribbean Affairs Bureau.

“Japan is committed to co-operation and intends to continue for years to come,” he told the Observer Monday, but noted that there were still several things to be done to improve the link between Caricom states and Japan.

Against this background, he said Japan intended to place “special emphasis” on “cultural and people exchanges to further enhance our existing friendly relations”.

Japan is one of the world’s major industrialised nations, and according to Sato, the Japanese Government sees Caricom as an important partner — despite the regional grouping’s geographical distance from the Far East.

Sato singled out Jamaica, noting that the country was a major partner in the Caribbean, with which his country had “more” historic ties. He stressed that Tokyo attached importance to the bilateral ties and would continue working closely with Kingston.

“We are working closer year after year,” he said.

Jamaica and Japan established diplomatic relations in March 1964. However, it was not until 1995 that Japan appointed an ambassador to Jamaica, as up to then, the Japanese ambassador accredited to the country resided in the Dominican Republic.

The Japanese International Co-operation Agency (JICA) — now headed by Ambassador Takashi Matsumoto, a former envoy to Kingston — oversees the grant-aid and technical assistance programme to Jamaica.

In fact, the JICA, in January this year, announced a country specific approach for Jamaica, under agreements reached at the November 2000 Japan/Caricom ministerial conference.

The five priority areas under the agreement are the environment; improvement of living conditions of the poor and other socially disadvantaged; support for integration into the global economy; promotion of people exchange; and the establishment of a Japan-Caricom Friendship and Co-operation Fund.

Jamaica’s major imports from Japan are motor vehicles, refrigerators, sewing machines, iron and steel, printers and photocopying apparatus.

Major items exported to Japan include coffee, cocoa, pimento and rum.

But Jamaica’s exports to Japan, which has a population of approximately 125 million, were valued at only US$30,252,810 in 2000, compared to US$191,622,152 in Japanese imports that same year.

Sato meanwhile, pointed out that substantial progress had been made since Japan and Caricom adopted a new “framework for the 21st century” during a ministerial consultation in November 2000.

“We share fundamental values — democracy, respect for human rights and market values,” he remarked.

The Caricom/Japan partnership is concentrated mainly in the areas of economic and technical co-operation; trade and tourism; and cultural exchange programmes.