Japan, Australia, Zim strengthen economic ties ahead of key events

Farirai Machivenyika –Senior Reporter

JAPAN Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Shinichi Yamanaka, yesterday met with Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister, Professor Amon Murwira, where they discussed strengthening economic ties ahead of the Osaka Kansai Expo 2025 and the 9th edition of the Tokyo International Conference on Africa’s Development.

The Osaka Expo will run from April 13 to October 13, while the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development will be held in August.

“We had a quite fruitful and forward-looking discussion with Professor Murwira, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. This year we have two important events for Zimbabwe and Japan, which is Osaka Kansai Expo and TICAD 9,” Ambassador Shinichi said.

“So, taking this opportunity, we discussed expanding and strengthening the business relations and the friendship between our two countries.”

The 9th edition of TICAD will bring together African leaders and their Japanese counterparts to discuss Japan’s cooperation and contribution to Africa’s development. Ambassador Shinichi said the launch of ZimSat-1 was one of the success stories of Zimbabwe and Japan’s cooperation.

“One of the success stories is ZimSat-1, the first Zimbabwean satellite, which was initiated during this TICAD meeting by the initiative of Professor Murwira,” Ambassador Shinichi said.

Australia’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Minoli Perera, also paid a courtesy call on Professor Murwira where she congratulated Zimbabwe on the election of former Sports Minister Kirsty Coventry to be president of the International Olympic Committee.

“In today’s meeting, we covered a number of topics. I congratulated Zimbabwe on the election of former Honourable Minister Kirsty Coventry as president of the IOC,” she said.

“Honourable Minister Coventry’s very first Olympics were in fact in Sydney, Australia, and she has very fond memories of Australia as a result of that. And we fondly remember her as a young athlete at the start of her Olympic journey. So, it’s very, very pleasing to see her now being elected to such a position of leadership as the first woman, as the first African to be elected to that position.”

Ambassador Perera added that they also discussed the Australia Awards scholarship programme.