Tanzania and Japan: Japanese Ambassador highlights long-lasting friendship and cooperation

Japan’s national day and the Emperor of Japan

Japanese people celebrate the birthday of the reigning Emper­or as its national day. The cur­rent 126th Emperor, His Majesty Naruhito, was born in 1960 and turns 64 years today, 23 February.

As we celebrate the Emper­or’s birthday, let us reflect on the friendship between Japan and Tanzania that has developed over the decades and our future.

Japan and Tanzania

Tanzania and Japan are about 12,000 kilometers apart. Howev­er, they are connected by ocean routes through the Indo-Pacific. There are records of an African who reached Japan from the east coast of Africa via India and became “Samurai” serving a pow­erful warlord who almost unified Japan in the 16th century.

However, it was not until after Tanganyika gained independence in 1961 that exchanges between Japan and Tanzania deepened. Japan established the diplomatic relations with Tanganyika imme­diately after its independence. Since 1962, the Japanese govern­ment has implemented develop­ment cooperation programs in various fields.

Starting with the construc­tion of the Selander Bridge in the 1980s, many of Dar es Salaam’s major roads and infrastructures have been built with Japanese assistance. In recent years, JICA has supported the construction of Tanzania’s first flyover, the Mfu­gale Flyover at Tazara Junction, the New Bagamoyo Road, and the Gerezani Bridge.

JICA has also supported the construction of the Iringa-Shin­yanga backbone transmission, the Kenya-Tanzania power intercon­nection project, and TANESCO capacity programs, among many others. Furthermore, Sumitomo Corporation and Toshiba Plant collaborated with TANESCO to construct Kinyerezi II Thermal Power Station, a natural gas pow­er plant with an output of 240Mw, contributing to the stabilization of electricity supply.

Another area that JICA has par­ticularly focused on is agriculture, especially rice cultivation. Since the “Kilimanjaro Agricultural Development Center Project” in the 1970s, JICA has supported rice farming in Tanzania through a series of projects covering the entire country.

JICA also supports other pro­jects such as improving local administrative capacity, enhanc­ing the productivity of small and medium enterprises, supporting female athletes and entrepre­neurs, and helping young students start their own businesses.

Today, we are very happy to see Tanzania contributing to Africa’s food security as a rice exporter and its economy developing towards lower-middle income level.

However, Tanzania’s develop­ment potential is enormous, and if the youth of Tanzania have strong will and continue to work tireless­ly, we can expect an even bright­er future. Japan will continue to cooperate with Tanzania and aim to develop together.

Japan-Tanzania friendship and the global partnership

Although Japan and Tanzania have maintained a friendly rela­tionship, serious conflicts contin­ue to occur around the world.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, horrific acts of terrorism, and the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip are just a few examples. In Asia, there are concerns about North Korea’s nuclear develop­ment, missile launches, and oth­er horrific acts in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. In the East China Sea and South China Sea, we are witnessing examples of unilateral attempts to change the status quo through force and intimidation.

While the international com­munity faces serious security challenges, Japan believes that establishing a free and open order based on the rule of law is essen­tial to ensure peace and prosper­ity throughout the region and beyond.

From this point of view, for­mer Prime Minister Shinzo Abe launched his vision of “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” at the Sixth Tokyo International Confer­ence on African Development (TICAD6) held in Kenya in 2016. Through the TICAD process, Japan intends to share insights on international maritime law, promote rule-making of free and fair economy, secure connectivity utilizing ODA, promote trade and investment, enhance governance, and ensure maritime security and safety, which will also contribute to peace and economic develop­ment in the Indo-Pacific region, including Africa.

Toward TICAD9 and Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai

Next year, the ninth Tokyo International Conference on Afri­can Development (TICAD9) will be held in Yokohama, Japan. I, as an ambassador of Japan to Tan­zania, hope that Africa including Tanzania and Japan can exchange views and promote cooperation toward TICAD9.

Expo 2025 Osaka-Kanasai will also be held next year. Tanza­nia’s first participation in an expo was in 1970 at the Osaka Expo. It sparked my interest in foreign countries for the first time when I was 7 years old. Fifty-five years have passed since then. As the Ambassador of Japan to Tanza­nia from Kansai region, I am very excited that Tanzania will once again participate in the Osaka Expo.

Karibu tena Osaka!

In Japan, the year 2024 is called “Reiwa 6’’. This is because it is the sixth year since the current Emperor ascended to the throne. “Reiwa” means “beautiful harmo­ny” and derived from the oldest Japanese poem anthology, dating back to the 8th century.

I hope that Japan and Tanzania will strengthen our cooperation, in the lead-up to TICAD9 and the 2025 World Expo, promoting “beautiful harmony” not only in the Indo-Pacific but also around the world.

From left, Amb. Yasushi Misawa, Ambassador of Japan to Tanzania, and H.E. Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of the United Republic of Tanzania at this year’s Diplomatic Sherry Party.