Jamaica’s ambassador to Japan Shorna-Kay Richards on Thursday hosted the island’s
contingent of athletes and officials in Japan, ahead of the World Athletics Championships to be held in Tokyo.

“Here in Japan, of course, all our embassies overseas, we’re trying to promote Jamaica’s interests, protecting Jamaica’s interests, taking care of Jamaican nationals in our jurisdiction. For me, it has been very important to strengthen the economic ties between Jamaica and Japan. Our official development ties are strong. Japan is a very important source of official development assistance through grants,” Richards shared in an interview with Observer Online.

Richards, who is now in her fifth year as Jamaica’s ambassador to Japan, stated that Japan is a very important partner to Jamaica and that she seeks to strengthen the relationship between both countries.

“Japan is a very important partner for Jamaica, bilateral partner, and for me to have the opportunity to strengthen and deepen the relationship between our two countries has been quite a wonderful experience. There are challenges, but I have been able to find creative ways to make my own contribution to this important relationship between the two countries,” she said.

Richards also shared her journey to the Foreign Service, stating that, “This is my 31st. Next week, the 14th of September, will be 31 years that I joined the Foreign Service right out of university. At first, I thought I would have been teaching Spanish literature, but at the career fair at the University of the West Indies, the foreign ministry made a presentation, and I said, this is where I’d like to serve.

But before that, during university days, I was doing a course on Caribbean studies, international relations studies, and I learned about the specifics of Jamaica’s contribution to the anti-apartheid struggle and I was very encouraged and very impressed by Jamaica’s advocacy as a small state, having a loud voice on issues of importance at the multilateral level, including human rights, justice, development. So I wanted to make that contribution by serving in the Foreign Service.”

(Photos and Video: Garfield Robinson)