FEC

  “Mutual Understanding at Citizens’ Level Needed for People-to-People Exchanges”

—– Samoa is an island country in the South Pacific. However, it is not well known in Japan. Would you describe the features of Samoa?

Samoa is an island nation in the Pacific region and is made up of 7 small islands, the main ones being Upolu and Savaii. Samoa, formally called the Independent State of Samoa, is situated between Hawaii and New Zealand and is of the Polynesian race, like Hawaii. The Independent State of Samoa is the first South Pacific nation to achieve independence in 1962. Samoa is politically and financially stable and has a population of just under 200,000 with many more Samoans residing in New Zealand, Australia, the United States, Europe, Asia and elsewhere. Families are very important in Samoa and the Samoan way of life (or Fa’asamoa) is underpinned by our services to our families. Samoa and Japan share many similarities in our traditions and customs that are supported by close-knit family ties, and warm hospitality and services. Samoa’s official languages are Samoan and English and has a high literacy rate. The main industries are in tourism, agriculture, fisheries and with many families involved in small tourism businesses. Our primary agricultural product of taro-imo is exported mostly to American Samoa, New Zealand, Australia and USA but not yet to Japan. The taste of Samoan taro is  different from that of Japan’s taro-imo. In the manufacturing sector, Yazaki Corporation is the largest single employer that currently employs almost 900 people and it has been operating in Samoa for 25 years. Unfortunately, Yazaki will close their operations in Samoa soon due to the closure of some automakers in Australia, their auto parts customers, leaving workers to look for new employment.

—– Japan and Samoa are neighboring countries across the Pacific Ocean. How would you observe the development of our cooperation including the field of disaster risk reduction?

Samoa and Japan established diplomatic relations 34 years ago, and have since enjoyed a warm and close relationship based on respect, trust and cooperation. Both countries collaborate on mutually important issues such as climate change, disaster risk reduction, renewable energy, sustainable development, fishery resources management, maritime security, the promotion of peace and prosperity and the rule of law. Disaster risk reduction is indeed very important to both countries. Samoa and many of its neighboring island countries are vulnerable and face the risk of cyclones, tsunamis, floods and other natural hazards; and the Japanese government’s leadership in this area is essential in strengthening risk management, developing disaster-resilient infrastructure, and capacity building for disaster response at community level. Every 3 years, Japan hosts a Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM) for discussions between the Prime Minister of Japan and leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum countries. The Prime Minister of Samoa attended all 7 past meetings and will serve as a co-chair with Prime Minister Abe at the PALM8 to be held next May in the city of Iwaki, Fukushima prefecture.

—– The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) is located in Apia, the capital of Samoa. What is the main activity of SPREP?

SPREP is a regional organization headquartered in Samoa that focuses on the development, coordination and implementation of policy and programs for the protection and sustainable development of the Pacific region’s environment. Their focus areas are climate change, environment, biodiversity, ecosystems and waste management, and environmental monitoring and governance, and provide policy and technical advice to Leaders and governments in these areas as required. Japan is one of the key supporters of SPREP and it continues to provide comprehensive assistance to the organization, recently by the establishment of the Pacific Climate Change Center, based at SPREP, and capacity-building. Sea level rise due to global warming affects small island states first, and the support for enhancing their disaster response and resilience capacities is critically important.

—– As Ambassador to Japan, which areas would you like to strengthen in relation to Japan?

Samoa and Japan have a very close relationship at all levels, and the relations between the 2 countries have been consistently strengthened. Particularly important is the promotion of people-to-people exchanges including in the areas of culture and sports. We are grateful for the support of JICA through its volunteer schemes that fosters cultural and human resources exchange in Samoa. The opening of Samoa’s Embassy in Japan in 2009 is a testament of the close relationship between the two countries as well as a desire for closer working relationships and greater mutual understanding. I visit various prefectures in Japan and promote cultural and sports-related exchanges between the two countries. Currently, we are planning the first reciprocal visits of the youth between Samoa and Japan. Rugby is popular in Samoa, and it is important to promote the sports industry because of employment opportunities. In addition, we are making efforts to increase the export of nonu juice, coconut-based products and cosmetics, agricultural and fishery products, and clothing to Japan and to invite Japanese small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to invest in Samoa. Last year, we received Japan’s government-private sector economic and trade mission, and a number of business negotiations are in progress. Promotion of tourism in tropical Samoa, called the “Treasured Islands of the South Pacific”, is also on our agenda and a core part of our work in Japan.

—– What kind of opportunities will Japanese companies be able to expect for investing in Samoa?

The Samoan government welcomes investments from overseas, and is supportive of corporations that wish to start operations in Samoa. Tax incentives and such assistance are available for such corporations to set up. We have good infrastructure, a politically stable government, investment-friendly environment, competitive salary rates, a large labor force who can communicate in English and are geographically close to New Zealand and Australia. The Yazaki company operated successfully in Samoa for 25 years. A Samoan organization currently exports fetau oil to the Body Shop. We welcome SMEs to set up in Samoa, especially in manufacturing, agricultural production, fisheries development, and tourism. For the last 10-15 years, our government supported the revitalization of the agriculture sector to increase exports and import substitution and significantly, promote organic farming. New products for investment include gluten-free breadfruit flour (important for gluten free products), coconut oil production, coconut-based cosmetic products, essential oils (Ylang Ylang, lemon, eucalyptus, cinnamon, and others) avocado oil, and alcoholic spirits/liqueurs processed from pineapple, banana, taro, star fruit etc.