| Japanese (日本語)

在ザンビア日本国大使館
　Embassy of Japan in the Republic of Zambia

 

Warm greeting to all of you! My name is Kiyoshi Koinuma. I arrived in Lusaka on 18th November, 2013 to assume my post as Ambassador of Japan to the Republic of Zambia.

 

Zambia is located at the juncture of several important international corridors of Southern Africa region, where the Japanese business community is paying closer attention to as a new market and a stable source of natural resources. This makes the country potentially play a key role for achieving a balanced growth of the region as a whole. Zambia is also renowned for its huge deposits and world-class production of natural resources such as copper and cobalt. Moreover, forty percent of water resources in the Southern African region are said to be reserved in Zambia so that it has huge potential for growth in such fields as agriculture and hydroelectric power generation. It is a great honor and pleasure for me to be able to serve as Ambassador to the country of great potential.

 

Under the national motto of “One Zambia and One Nation”, 73 ethnic groups have been living in harmony since the independence, which is a remarkable achievement among tribal societies in Africa. Transitions of government have always been peaceful and democratic since the independence. In foreign policy, Zambia has supported the black liberation movements in Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa after the 1960s. Zambia successfully mediated the peace agreement for the Republic of Angola, and helped to conclude for the peace agreement for Democratic Republic of the Congo respectively. Thus, Zambia, described as “an oasis of peace and stability”, is respected as a regional leader by neighboring countries.

 

The relationship between Japan and Zambia started from 24 October 1964, the very day of the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics, when Zambia became independent and Japan acknowledged the sovereignty. The world watched on television the Zambian athletes, who entered the Olympic Games as members of Northern Rhodesia, proudly marching into the stadium and hoisting the new flag of Zambia at the closing ceremony. Since then, both countries have broadened and strengthened relationship not only in economy, but also in the academic field, as typified by the academic exchanges between Hokkaido University and the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Zambia, and in culture such as the sporting activities of Judo and Karate.

 

Next year marks the 50th anniversary of Japan-Zambia diplomatic relations as well as the golden jubilee of Zambia’s independence. I would like to make my efforts for further developing the bilateral relations by working together with Zambian as partners for mutual development and prosperity. I also would like to help to forge a favorable environment for trade and investment by Japanese companies, and further promote international exchanges and cooperation in academic, culture and sports.

 

I hope to see you soon at out Embassy activities!

 

November 2013
Kiyoshi KOINUMA
Ambassador of Japan to the Republic of Zambia

 

 

Ambassador Koinuma was born in 1955. He graduated from Faculty of Economics, Keio University. He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (MOFA) in 1978 and studied at University of Munich, Federal Republic of Germany. His previous assignments include Director of Refugee Assistance Division, Director of Foreign Nationals'Affairs Division, Minister at the Embassy of Japan in Myanmar, Deputy Director General of Japan Center for Asian Historical Records, Deputy Director-General of the International Social Cooperation Bureau and the Consular Affairs Bureau, Counsellor of Minister’s Secretariat, Director-General of Sapporo Regional Immigration Bureau, Minister, the Embassy of Japan in German, Consul-General at the Consulate General of Japan in Düsseldorf.