“I believe the Moldo-Japanese partnership has a solid foundation, based on such universal values as democracy, the rule of law, market economy, and respect for human rights. Their fortification allows us to deepen the bilateral relations and obtain more tangible results. I would like to express my appreciation for the efforts towards the European integration as well as hope that the Republic of Moldova will continue to produce successes in this direction,” Japan’s Ambassador to Moldova Katayama Yoshihiro stated on the occasion of the National Day Reception held to celebrate the Birthday of His Majesty the Emperor Naruhito.

The diplomat noted that among the diverse forms of economic assistance, a special place is occupied by the support to the agricultural sector. ”I have a pleasure to mention that over 40% of modern agricultural equipment used in Moldova has been purchased with the Japanese grants. ‘Kusanone’ Human Security Program has also become well known in all the corners of Moldova. In 2019 alone we offered over US$ 700,000 to various projects in education and healthcare,” stated Katayama Yoshihiro.

According to the ambassador, the people of Japan started to discover the Moldovan wine. “In terms of economic cooperation, I have to note that wine has become the number one Moldovan export to Japan, which shows that the Japanese start to like to superb wines of Moldova. Although, in my opinion, the growth of trade volume is rather modest, I am confident that we have a great potential,” noted the official.

Katayama Yoshihiro said he was happy to see both the increased interest from the potential investors from Japan, as well as the fact that the Japanese companies, which already have over 5,000 employees in Moldova, invest in people and contribute to development of local communities. “A great example is the partnership between the Sumitomo Company and Orhei Professional School aimed at promoting dual education, which is financially supported by our embassy too,” he exemplified.

“Our cultural and scientific cooperation is as rich: together we organize various exhibitions of the Japanese traditional art and modern photography, ikebana and kimono workshops, film screenings and festivals. A unique project, which I am very happy to share with you, has been recently launched by the Technical University of Moldova and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Very soon, already in 2021, the first Moldovan nanosatelite will be delivered to the International Space Station on the board of Space X rocket. 2019 has been a productive year, but I am certain that our countries have a much larger potential for creating much stronger connections.”