MINISTER of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Senator Kamina Johnson Smith will pay an official working visit to Japan from February 6 to 11, 2024.

During the visit Johnson Smith will hold bilateral talks with Yoko Kamikawa, Japan’s minister of foreign affairs, as well as engage in discussions with other high-level government officials and members of the business community. The minister will also meet with members of the Jamaican Diaspora.

The visit, said the foreign ministry in a release Friday, will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Jamaica and Japan, and reflects the strategic importance the two governments place on their long-standing and mutually advantageous friendship, which has flourished for six decades and continues to yield tangible benefits.

“The Government of Jamaica welcomes this visit to Japan as it underscores our commitment to enhancing collaboration with a key development partner in critical areas such as disaster management, security, climate change, agriculture and fisheries. This visit also presents an excellent opportunity to strengthen trade and investment ties, further cementing the dynamic and growing economic partnership between Jamaica and Japan,” the foreign minister said.

“The visit is also taking place in the context of the Japan-Caricom Friendship Year,” said Johnson Smith, who also serves as the current chair for Caricom’s Council for Foreign and Community Relations.

Johnson Smith first visited Japan when she was invited to speak at the World Assembly for Women in 2016.