Japan has expressed its readiness to strengthen cooperation with South Africa, particularly in the power and energy sectors.
Japanese foreign minister Yoko Kamikawa said South Africa is a business hub for Japanese companies in Africa.
“It is indispensable to maintain and develop a free and open maritime order based on the rule of law as the countries that both face Indo-Pacific Ocean,” she said on Friday, during a visit to Tokyo by South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola.
Lamola, for his part, voiced his gratitude for Japanese cooperation towards the decarbonisation of South Africa, including technical cooperation.
Avocado ban
He expressed strong expectations for Japanese companies which are creating many jobs to further expand into South Africa, according to a Japanese Foreign Ministry statement.
Lamola also praised the lifting of a ban on avocado exports from South Africa to Japan and said he has high hopes to promote high-level visits between the two countries, utilising the Japan-South Africa Partnership Forum.
The two also exchanged views on the situation in Ukraine, Middle East, East Asia, and North Korea.
Lamola arrived in Tokyo to attend the ''Tokyo International Conference on African Development'' meeting, which kicks off on Saturday.
➤Click here to follow our WhatsApp channel for more stories.
