Kenya and Japan to boost bilateral ties, improve trade

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Tuesday held talks with the Japanese ambassador to Kenya Okaniwa Ken at Harambee House Annex.

The two discussed various modalities to improve the ties between the two nations.

Gachagua said Kenya and Japan have committed to strengthening bilateral relations as they continue working on ways to balance the trade between them.

The DP said that Kenya considers Japan a dependable partner reaching out to the Asian country to invest more in the country.

"We appreciate the support Japan has continued to offer us in different sectors. It is our intention as the government to strengthen the cordial relations which have existed since independence," the DP said.

Gachagua said Kenya would appreciate more support from Japan towards programmes to combat climate change.

He said one of the roles assigned to him by President William Ruto was to work with foreign partners to ease interaction and quicken the government's decision-making on their issues.

"If there are any issues cutting across the ministries, we will be ready to coordinate and help sort them out,” he said.

Presently, Kenya exports Sh7.8 billion worth of products to Japan annually against Sh127 billion of imports to the country.

The imbalance is one of the areas Kenya is working on as it seeks to expand markets for its agricultural products in Japan.

The DP challenged the ambassador to promote Kenya as a good tourist destination site among their people saying the number of tourists from Japan was still low.

"We have beautiful tourist sites, beaches and our people are hospitable," Gachagua said.

Okaniwa said they will work closely with the government to boost the existing ties as they explore other areas of partnership.

He said Kenya had benefitted from a Sh3 billion aid from Japan for the ongoing drought mitigation programmes over the last year.

"Kenya is an important partner in the East African region because of its stability and as the biggest economy in the region," he said.

Other projects the Asian country has funded are the construction of Thiba Dam in Kirinyaga and the rehabilitation of the Ahero Irrigation Scheme in Kisumu among other ongoing programmes.

He said the number of Japanese investors in Kenya has risen to 100 in the last five years, promising to push for more investments in the country.