Japan’s Minister
of Internal Affairs and Communication Mr. Yoshitaka Shindo called on President
Mahinda Rajapaksa at the President’s House yesterday to discuss the existing collaborations between
the two countries while also developing new ways of further strengthening
economic ties, including in the communications sector.
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| Minister Yoshitaka Shindo meets President Mahinda Rajapaksa |
Discussions between the two sides
also focused on providing Japanese information and communications technology to
Sri Lanka to boost the communication sector. The visiting Minister expressed hope
that Japanese ICT system which had been tested and evaluated by the Sri Lankan
government would be adopted in Sri Lanka. Mr. Shindo also thanked Sri Lanka for its support
and assistance in the aftermath of the tsunami in 2011, noting how much the
people of Japan appreciated it.
In March of this year, during a visit to Japan,
President Rajapaksa held bilateral discussions with Prime Minister of Japan
Shinzo Abe. During the President's visit, the
government of Japan granted approximately Rs.3.7 billion to Sri Lanka for
implementation of four projects for meeting the urgent needs in sectors such as
fisheries, roads and health to promote socio-economic development. The
Japanese government committed to a total of Rs. 57.8 billion in development aid
to Sri Lanka. Since then, this is the second high-level visit of a Japanese
government official. In May of this year, Japan’s Deputy Prime Minister Taro
Aso visited Sri Lanka and met President Rajapaksa. He
also observed the progress in the upgrading and expansion of the Colombo Port
which is funded with US$ 800 million of Japanese assistance.
