Ahead of the expected opening of the Japanese diplomatic mission in Kigali next January, preparations are currently in high gear, according to a Japanese official.

Okada Seiji, the Japanese Deputy Ambassador to Rwanda, currently based in Nairobi, Kenya revealed this on the sidelines of the sixth annual policy dialogue between Rwanda and Japan held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday.

Seiji who was heading the Japanese delegation at the meeting told The New Times that a Japanese "technical mission” was already in the country working on setting up a preparatory office in town come September.

"Preparations are in progress and there is a kind of technical mission from Japan working to see the preparations for such issues like residence,” Seiji said.

The Japanese diplomat stressed that the level of cooperation between the two countries was good but there was still a need to "further deepen relations,” be it economically, politically, culturally or socially, and thus the need to bring their diplomatic mission to Kigali.

"Why we are relocating from Kenya is to get closer, deepen our constant relations. That is why we thought to have an embassy in Rwanda.”

Human resource development, rural development and economic infrastructure and industrial development are the three priority areas of Japan’s development assistance to Rwanda.

The signing of the memorandum of understanding in the areas of energy and agriculture was also one of the key features of the sixth Rwanda-Japan annual policy dialogue yesterday.

Japanese officials also announced their government’s recent approval of a programme for rural development in Eastern Province.

The project dubbed, "capacity development project for farmers’ organizations in the Eastern Province” will see a preparatory study team dispatched from Japan in September this year.

Early last month, an 18-strong Japanese public and private sector delegation led by Japanese State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Seiko Hashimoto, visited the country on a reconnaissance tour intended to study areas of cooperation and investment opportunities.

An estimated 1,400 Japanese tourists visited Rwanda last year.

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