The Sunday Mail
Mabasa Sasa
Japan has enlisted Zimbabwe’s help and co-operation towards the successful hosting of the 2016 Tokyo International Conference on African Development (Ticad).
This emerged after Special Advisor to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Mr Katsuyaki Kawai, sought the audience of African Union Chair President Mugabe in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Friday.
Mr Kawai also said PM Abe had invited President Mugabe to visit Japan in March this year.
President Mugabe is in Addis Ababa for the 26th Ordinary Summit of the AU.
At yesterday’s meeting, Mr Kawai was accompanied by Japan’s Permanent Representative to the AU, Ambassador Kazuhiro Suzuki.
Through a translator, Mr Kawai said, “I was able to have a very fruitful and warm-hearted meeting with His Excellency, and I am very much moved right now.
“This summer, Japan is going to co-host the Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development together with African friends and this time it’s going to be held outside Japan (and) for the first time in Africa.
“And therefore for the success of the Ticad meeting, I received a directive from Prime Minister Abe last week … PM Abe asked His Excellency President Mugabe to co-operate towards the success of that meeting.”
He added: “And also towards the scheduled visit, in late March – spring – by His Excellency, we are going to make this visit a historic success so the two countries will co-ordinate and make all the necessary efforts for the success of this visit.
“The Ticad meeting is going to be held in Kenya – first time to be held in Africa and outside Japan. The visit by His Excellency of Zimbabwe to Japan is scheduled around end of March.”
Ticad was launched in 1993 by the government in Tokyo to promote development, peace and security in Africa by strengthening bilateral ties with Japan.
Earlier on Friday, President Mugabe was invited to attend the opening of Equatorial Guinea’s new embassy in Addis Ababa.
The embassy was officially opened by Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.
