Message from Ambassador

I arrived in the beautiful capital city of Nairobi full of greenery on 25 November.
I look forward to working with all of you to build the future of Japan-Kenya relations.
 
Kenya and Japan have a long history of friendship. This is reflected in the fact that the first Japanese development assistance to Kenya was extended in 1963 and that Kenya remains the largest recipient of Japanese aid in sub-Saharan Africa. The history of Japan-Kenya relations is longer than my lifetime, which just marked its 60th anniversary this year. To date, through the efforts of countless individuals from both countries, we have been able to nurture a feeling of affinity towards each other and build a solid foundation of good relations.
 
This relationship is open to the future. Through the then Prime Minister Kishida's visit to Kenya in May last year and President Ruto's visit to Japan in February this year, Kenya-Japan relations have taken an epoch-making leap forward. A framework for broad cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, security, health, and ICT has been put in place, and this framework is steadily expanding activities to tackle together the challenges our countries are facing and to join our forces for our common future. This is well represented in the number of Japanese companies operating in Kenya. As of October 2023, the number of Japanese companies in Kenya has reached 118, the second largest number in Sub-Saharan Africa after South Africa, and the number is expected to increase further. With the involvement of more and more companies and people, the Kenya-Japan relationship will continue to grow in breadth and depth.
 
In these times of great change in the international order, Kenya is committed to free and open political system and economic policies, and to foreign policies that value a rule-based order. As a heavy-weight stabilizing force in East Africa, Kenya plays an important role in regional peace and stability. Thus, for Japan, whose national policy is also to contribute to the liberal international order and global stability similarly, Kenya is an extremely important partner.
 
Both the people of Japan and Kenya are optimistic, have open mind to new things, respect our tradition, work hard, and believe in ourselves. By thinking together, discussing together, and acting together, we will learn from each other, inspire each other. Won’t it be our way to present to the world effective solutions to the difficult challenges of the new era which only our two peoples can uniquely provide? It is very rewarding to serve as the Japanese Ambassador to Kenya with such hope. I greatly look forward to working with all of you to make steady progress, step by step, and to produce outcomes that will lead to our better future.