Japan, a real Tanzanian ally fostering a partnership for sustainable development, prosperity
DAR ES SALAAM: FOR over six many years, Tanzania and Japan have fostered a exceptional partnership, collaborating throughout numerous fields.
Through mutual dedication and shared imaginative and prescient, the 2 nations haven’t solely established but in addition nurtured deep and resilient cooperation in enterprise, tradition and sustainable growth.
These enduring ties proceed to flourish, additional strengthening the bond between Japan and Tanzania, making a legacy of belief and shared prosperity.
In this interview with DAILY NEWS Senior Journalist FLORENCE MUGARULA, the Japanese Ambassador to Tanzania, H.E Misawa Yashushi discusses the present relationship, development of commerce and enchancment of financial relations between the 2 nations. Excerpts…
What is the present relationship between Tanzania and Japan?
Japan and Tanzania have fostered the pleasant relationship for the reason that first days of the independence of the United Republic of Tanzania. I’m satisfied that the shut partnership will proceed to develop additional.
In the wonderful historical past of our bilateral relations, I stay up for subsequent 12 months being a monumental one. Japan will host Expo 2025, which can be held in Osaka, the second largest metropolis in Japan. May twenty fifth subsequent 12 months can be designated as Tanzania Day on the World Expo.
Working carefully with the Tanzanian Embassy in Japan and Tantrade, we are going to do our greatest to make the Expo nice success for each nations. Another milestone subsequent 12 months can be TICAD, the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, the historical past of which could be traced again to 1993.
It is a novel platform for African nations, Japan in addition to the worldwide organisation equivalent to United Nations, World Bank and UNDP to come back collectively and to foster mutually helpful relations.
With its excellent ideas of African ‘ownership’ and worldwide ‘partnership’, I hope that the importance of the 9th TICAD can be appreciated greater than ever.
I’d be very grateful if each Expo and TICAD can be celebrated by the high-level go to from the Government of Tanzania.
If I can point out some of the memorable occasions this 12 months for Tanzania and Japan, it’s the sister metropolis settlement between Dodoma and Nagai City in Yamagata, Japan.
The settlement was signed on Nagai City’s 70th anniversary celebration on October 14. Although there was grassroots interplay between Tanzania and Yamagata for greater than 25 years, they began extra energetic exchanges in 2016 when Nagai City was registered as a number city for Tanzania athletes for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympics.
I’m excited to see how the friendship between the 2 cities will proceed to develop sooner or later.
Tanzania is considered one of recipients of donors’ assist, and now JICA has been energetic for 62 years in Tanzania, by which areas has Japan been supporting Tanzania and the way do you assess the Japan Internation Agency’s (JICA) achievements in bringing optimistic modifications to the individuals?
Looking again at our historical past, Japan has supported many symbolic initiatives, together with the event of the Lower Moshi Irrigation Scheme, the development of the Mfugale Flyover and the event of Malindi Fish Landing and Marketing services on the request of the federal government of Tanzania.
Some Tanzanians might have the impression that Japan has targeted on infrastructure growth initiatives, however this isn’t the one space by which we’re working.
While the Japanese authorities’s international support technique is formulated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, most concrete initiatives are deliberate and carried out by JICA.
The JICA workplace in Tanzania is likely one of the largest JICA places of work on the African continent they usually work very carefully with the federal government of Tanzania and its individuals.
JICA is engaged with a variety of actions equivalent to agriculture, blue financial system, industrial growth, well being care, native governance, empowerment of girls and every kind of capability constructing.
Some of those actions embody dispatching of Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers to show college students, assist hospitals and collaborate with native communities. Since the primary batch of volunteers in 1965, greater than 1,679 volunteers have devoted themselves to the event of Tanzania.
Moreover, agriculture is a discipline the place Japan has actively supported Tanzania in its growth. Rice manufacturing particularly has nice potential in Tanzania and Japan, which is happy with its home rice manufacturing, can supply useful experience to additional strengthen the manufacturing in Tanzania.
For greater than 40 years, JICA has efficiently supplied several types of technical help in rice cultivation, carried out irrigation initiatives in villages throughout Tanzania and supported the monetisation of agriculture to extend farmers’ incomes.
Going ahead, we’re planning to assist the event of agriculture financing in order that small and medium-scale farmers in Tanzania can advance mechanisation.
Furthermore, I wish to introduce ‘Ladies First’, a nationwide athletic competitors for feminine athletes in Tanzania, which is held at Benjamin Mkapa stadium. This distinctive occasion, impressed by initiative of Mr Juma Ikangaa, a former Tanzanian Olympian, is organised by JICA Tanzania workplace together with the National Sport Council of Tanzania, having the assist of varied stakeholders inside and out of doors Tanzania.
I imagine this might be an exquisite probability for ladies who’re eager to develop their potential simply as a lot as boys.
It was excellent information for me to listen to that of members in final 12 months’s ‘Ladies First’ took half within the monitor and discipline competitors at this 12 months’s Paris Olympics.
‘Ladies First’ in 2024 can be held on from November 23 to November 24, this 12 months at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium. I hope that many Tanzanians will get pleasure from seeing the highest-level competitors of Tanzania feminine athletes there.
While main growth initiatives of our authorities are deliberate and performed by JICA, the Embassy has performed many small-scale initiatives which immediately profit the grassroots communities equivalent to development of college buildings, dormitories, and bathrooms in addition to institution of clinics and dispensaries within the native areas. Since 1989, the Embassy has carried out practically 400 initiatives below the scheme of Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects.
Last month I participated within the handing-over ceremony of bathrooms and water tank of Mzumuni Secondary School in Kinondoni District, Dar es Salaam. And final week I traveled to Mwanza Region to have fun the handing-over of the reproductive and youngster well being constructing at Sumve Designated District Hospital in Kwimba District. The Embassy hopes to proceed its cooperation on the grassroots degree sooner or later.
Tanzania and Japan have been cooperating in numerous areas, what is the standing of financial and commerce relations between the 2 nations? Please inform us the present information equivalent to commerce quantity and prospects.
Japan and Tanzania have had a protracted historical past of financial alternate.
I discussed earlier that the World Expo can be held in Osaka subsequent 12 months, however this won’t be the primary time Osaka has hosted the World Expo.
The first Osaka World Expo was held in 1970, once I was a little bit youngster. The 1970 world Expo was additionally the primary World Expo that Tanzania participated in.
I imagine this was Tanzania’s first look on the glamorous worldwide financial stage shortly after independence.
Since then, financial relations between Tanzania and Japan have developed. Looking on the present commerce relationship, Japan is Tanzania’s fifth largest import companion. Japan exported 464 million USD (about 1.235tri/-) to Tanzania in 2022.
The high product is, as anticipated, vehicles, adopted by sizzling rolled iron and supply vans.
On the opposite hand, Japan is Tanzania’s twentieth largest export vacation spot, and Japan is its high export vacation spot for espresso.
It additionally exports giant quantities of sesame seeds and tobacco.
In 2022, Tanzania exported 146 million USD (about 388.6bn/-) to Japan. From 2017 to 2022, Tanzania’s exports to Japan elevated at an annual charge of 1.59 per cent.
In phrases of funding, there are a number of main Japanese firms working in Tanzania.
In the Nineteen Sixties, shortly after Tanzania gained independence, Konosuke Matsushita, the founding father of Panasonic, opened a transistor radio manufacturing facility to advertise manufacturing in Tanzania and later started manufacturing dry batteries.
I feel that many older individuals in Tanzania are aware of transistor radios and dry cell batteries made by “National”, the outdated identify for Panasonic. Unfortunately, Panasonic was compelled to stop operations six years in the past because of the inflow of low-cost unlawful imports and counterfeit items into the Tanzanian market.
Although there are nonetheless some Japanese firms energetic in Tanzania, such because the Tanzania Cigarette Company, TCC, Japan’s presence will not be very giant.
However, we extremely recognize the efforts at the moment being made by the Tanzanian authorities below the robust management of President Samia Suluhu Hassan to foster a disciplined market and enhance a business-friendly funding setting.
And we hope that due to these efforts, extra Japanese firms will set up a presence in Tanzanian market and cooperate with many Tanzanian firms.
As I discussed at first, subsequent 12 months Japan will host the World Expo and TICAD, and a big financial mission from Japan can also be scheduled to go to Tanzania in subsequent January.
I hope that subsequent 12 months can be an incredible leap ahead in financial relations between Japan and Tanzania.
How does Japan assist schooling, well being programmes to Tanzania college students?
As I discussed earlier than, Japan has dispatched plenty of volunteers via JICA. Most of them are engaged with schooling, well being care and group growth areas.
In the schooling sector, many elementary and secondary faculty academics, particularly in science and arithmetic have been dispatched.
Some of the readers might have had experiences to be taught by Japanese academics. When I got here to Tanzania and paid a courtesy name to Dr Doto Mashaka Biteko, he talked about his recollections of being taught by Japanese academics in school.
Japanese academics are nonetheless being dispatched to colleges throughout Tanzania. As lengthy as there’s a request from Tanzania, we wish to proceed to ship academics.
In the sector of upper schooling, Japan has been accepting worldwide college students from Tanzania for a very long time.
The Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology affords scholarships, so referred to as MEXT scholarship, for Tanzanian college students to check at Japanese universities.
The scholarship is offered for each undergraduate and postgraduate research. For instance, Minister of Defence and National Service, Dr Stargomena Tax, obtained her grasp’s and doctoral levels from the University of Tsukuba as a recipient of a scholarship.
Students who want to contribute to the sector of drugs have been additionally chosen every year to achieve cutting-edge experience in Japan.
For the educational 12 months of 2024, a complete of 10 new college students have obtained MEXT scholarships to check in Japan, of which 6 college students are medical college students.
In addition to the MEXT authorities scholarships, many Tanzanians have been invited to Japan to check at universities or to take part in JICA coaching programs.
I joined the send-off reception hosted by JICA this 12 months. 16 Tanzanian have been despatched to Japan for numerous coaching programs and grasp’ s diploma.
We imagine that they’ve introduced again glorious expertise of their skilled fields, in addition to good private experiences and recollections from Japan, and have assumed essential roles in Tanzanian society.
Another excellent case of Japan’s contribution to Tanzanian schooling is its assist for the Sakura Girls’ Secondary School in Arusha.
The faculty was established in 2016 via the exceptional initiative of two highly effective girls, the late Ms Frida Tomito from Arusha, and the late Prof Sumiko Iwao, an emeritus professor at Keio University in Tokyo.
Built with each private and non-private assist from Japan, Sakura Girls Secondary School is exclusive in its instructional philosophy and methodology, specializing in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) schooling for ladies, which has resulted in supporting ladies to pursue their goals of turning into science professionals, together with medical medical doctors.
Their efforts have resulted in one of many highest scores within the nationwide Form Four examination.
They additionally supply ‘Japanese tradition class as O particular curriculum and the ladies there get pleasure from studying about completely different cultures and broadening their horizons.
I imagine these ladies would be the future leaders of Tanzania and symbolize the friendship between Tanzania and Japan.
Tanzania like different nations within the World has been experiencing the inflow of counterfeit and substandard merchandise, a few of these merchandise are introduced in from developed nations, what’s your tackle the scenario and what’s your recommendation on the management of the issue?
The prevalence of counterfeit, substandard, mislabeled, and undervalued merchandise is a big loss for each real producers and the individuals of Tanzania.
First, it’s unlucky that Tanzanian customers are caught with fakes, paying their hard-earned cash.
These faked merchandise are priced barely decrease than the real merchandise and they’re designed to be tough for unusual individuals to differentiate from the real merchandise. For instance, in some shops in Tanzania, merchandise that look the identical as Japanese outboard motors are brazenly bought at pretty excessive costs.
However, for those who might see the within of them, they’re utterly completely different merchandise. Consumers typically lose cash with out even realising it.
They might realise that the merchandise they purchase are faux once they unintentionally take them to a real supplier for restore.
Secondly, real producers lose income as a result of the existence of low-cost counterfeits prevents them from promoting their real merchandise.
However, what’s much more problematic is that the fame of real merchandise is broken when individuals mistake low-quality counterfeits for real merchandise.
In a market the place good high quality merchandise usually are not correctly valued and bought at a good value, nobody would need to manufacture good high quality merchandise.
The motive why Tanzania’s manufacturing business has not developed is essentially because of the tradition of placing up with “cheap, bad products” in Tanzania
To enhance this case, the Tanzanian authorities’s first activity will not be solely to ascertain applicable requirements, but in addition to make sure that these requirements are totally carried out and enforced.
Even if requirements are established in Tanzania, there are sometimes no methods or constructions in place to implement them.
That scenario must be modified. At the identical time, it will be important that every one Tanzanian customers have the need and skill to guage the standard of merchandise.
In Japan, there’s a proverb that claims, ‘shopping for low-cost items is waste of cash/You get what you pay for”.
I would really like individuals to suppose that purchasing a dependable product made by a dependable producer, even when it is a bit more costly, as a result of that’s extra worthwhile within the medium to long run than shopping for an affordable product that breaks simply.
Until such pondering takes root in society, it is going to be inconceivable to cease the proliferation of counterfeit and different such merchandise, and I feel it’s going to additionally hinder the event of Tanzania’s manufacturing business.
If the federal government of Tanzania is keen to work on reforming the countermeasures in opposition to faux merchandise and elevating individuals’s consciousness on this regard, Japan is able to cooperate in any manner doable.
As a diplomat, how do you assess the efficiency of President Samia Suluhu Hassan’ s authorities.
As a diplomat, I wish to chorus making any light-hearted remark concerning the chief of the nation by which I’m assigned.
However, I personally respect and applaud the robust management of H.E. Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of the United Republic of Tanzania, to advertise 4R coverage, as a result of I imagine that the idea of the 4R (Reconciliation, Resilience, Reforms and Rebuilding) coverage is one thing that must be valued not solely in Tanzania but in addition in each nation on this planet It is an concept that must be additionally revered in Japan as properly.
I additionally acknowledge the significance of this month’s native elections and subsequent 12 months’s normal elections for democracy of this nation. I’m wanting ahead to seeing the honest and peaceable elections lead by her 4R coverage.
