JAMAICA’S Foreign Minister Senator Kamina Johnson Smith held talks Thursday with her Japanese counterpart Iwaya Takeshi, ahead of the December 14 Eighth Japan-Caricom Ministerial-Level Conference in Tokyo.

Iwaya said he is pleased that this year the diplomatic relations between Japan and Jamaica mark the 60th anniversary, and that bilateral relations have deepened in various areas, including maritime affairs, defence, and culture.

Minister Iwaya, who noted that Japan and Jamaica’s relationship has built on cooperation, said in the past 10 years there has been a push towards overcoming the vulnerabilities particular to small island states and sustainable development, in line with the three pillars of Japan’s Caricom policy. In addition, he stated that this year Japan had decided to provide a marine research vessel to Jamaica and dispatch Japanese experts in fishery development.

Japan, he said, has sponsored training to spread the Koban (neighbourhood police box) system this March, and has provided vehicles for Jamaica Constabulary Force. He also expressed his intention to build on such cooperation, and contribute to Jamaica and other countries in the region to help them overcome vulnerabilities and achieve sustainable development.

In response, Minister Johnson Smith, according to a Japan Embassy release, expressed her appreciation for Japan’s cooperation with Jamaica and the region in various areas such as security and disaster prevention. In addition, she stated that she is pleased the people-to-people interaction through the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme and others has advanced.

The two ministers concurred that amid the deepening divisions and conflicts in the international community, both countries, sharing values and principles such as freedom, democracy, and rule of law, will cooperate closely.

In the meantime, The Eighth Japan-Caricom Ministerial-Level Conference is scheduled for Tokyo thia Saturday for the first time in 10 years, with foreign ministers and other high-level officials from 14 member states of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) expected to be in attendance.

Participants are expected to review the Japan-Caricom Friendship Year 2024, and will discuss new cooperation between Japan and Caricom on regional affairs, including the situation in Haiti as well as climate change. The participants will also confirm their cooperation under the Global Partnership, based on common values and principles.

In addition to Jamaica, participating are: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, as well as the Caricom Secretariat.