Ambassador hails Biya for strengthening Cameroon-Japan ties.

The diplomat was speaking during a ceremony in Yaounde Wednesday February 23. The event was organised to commemorate the 63^rd birthday of the Japan’s Emperor, His Majesty Naruhito.

Ambassador Takaoka used the event which was appointed by several dignitaries among them members of government and diplomats to review fruitful ties between his country and Cameroon.

The Minister, Director of the Civil Cabinet at the Presidency of the Republic, Samuel Mvondo Ayolo, represented President Biya at the event.

Takaoka recalled the 8^th Tokyo International Conference on African Development, TICAD 8 held in Tunis, Tunisia, as a show of his country’s commitment to support Africa.

Japan, he said, will invest 30 billion US$ in total both in the form of public and private contribution.  He saluted Cameroon’s role in the hosting of the conference.

With Japan holding the presidency of the world’s seven most industrialised countries, G7, Takaoka, expressed the wish for more diplomatic openings.

“Japan aspires to be a partner growing together with Africa,” Takaoka said, adding that “Cameroon’s partnership is very important for us…Cameroon is a leading partner of Japan on the African Continent in the important fields of development”.

Recounting some of the activities carried out by Japan in Cameroon, the Ambassador said: “In April last year, I was with Ms. Nadine Perrault, the Resident Representative of UNICEF to handover vaccines against COVID-19 donated by Japan through the COVAX Facility at the vaccine warehouse of the Ministry of Public Health”.

The release of Humanitarian Development Peace Nexus survey on Labour Market Survey in North West and South West regions in May, 2022, the diplomat said was another key support action from his country.

Japanese support not politically motivated

At the birthday celebration, the diplomat restated that, the support his country gives to friendly nations and other development partners “is not politically motivated, but aims to contribute to the livelihood and welfare of the local people”.

Decision on such support, he maintained, is taken in collaboration with United Nations, UN agencies. He equally saluted the efforts put in by the Minister of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries, Dr Taiga in the construction of a fish market in Youpwe in Douala.

The project he noted, will help improve the income of the fisheries workers and ensure the stable supply of seafood products to improve health standards.

He equally cited works of Japanese International Corporation Agency, JICA, in implementation projects to improve the living standards of Cameroonians.

In the health domain, the government of Japan in a bid to improve health care, he said donated equipment to complete the Newborn Survival Project.

The Japanese also talked of the supply of eight incubators, two phototherapy tunnels, a hematology machine and a semi-automatic immuno-analysis machine to the Chantal Biya Foundation.

Japan, he also said is very present in the agricultural sector in Cameroon. The rebranding of the NDOP rice through the project PRODERIP project is a case in point. The brand name of the rice is “Diamond” rice thanks to Japanese support.

The KAIZEN Project

According to the Ambassador, Kaizen in Japanese means literary improvement which made Toyota No.1 automobile producer in the world.

The movement he said, seeks to improve from bottom to top the organisation and assembly line of workers and shop assistants. A successful Kaizen, he noted, requires good management-employee relations and democracy in company culture.

“…It is no coincidence that Japan found the best partner of Kaizen practice on the African continent in Cameroon. There are only two Japanese Kaizen Centers in Africa, Cameroon and Kenya, but Cameroonian center is producing much more successful Kaizen specialists than Kenya,” he noted.

About Emperor

Emperor Naruhito was born on February 23, 1960. He ascended the throne on May 1, 2019 after his father, Akihito abdicated. His era of reign is known as Reiwa.

He is known as the 126^th monarch of Japan going by the country’s traditional order of succession. Since ascending the throne, is referred to as His Majesty The Emperor.