23 Feb 2025

 On Thursday, the Japanese community in Botswana braved the wet weather that was characterised by floods in most parts of Gaborone to celebrate the 65^th birthday of Emperor Naruhito, which falls on February 23.

“We would like to express our heartfelt sympathy to the people of Botswana. We sincerely hope that there will be no further damage,” remarked Mr Ogawa Shin, Charge d’Affair of the Embassy of Japan, in view of the severe impact of the extreme weather conditions that had befallen the country. 

Mr Ogawa observed that his government had, through its relations with Botswana, assisted in such hard times. 

He said in response to events associated with global climate change in Southern Africa, Japan in collaboration with UNDP, began providing support to vulnerable people in Ngamiland last April. The ongoing support is through the distribution of food packages, irrigation restoration and agricultural training. 

As additional support, Japan has decided to distribute food and provide nutrition guidance to children affected by climate change through UNICEF. 

Furthermore, Japan has a longstanding Grass-Roots Grant, which was launched in Botswana in 1997. 

The main focus has been in the fields of education, health, and vocational training. 

One or two projects are selected every year, and a total of 68 grassroots grants had been implemented by January this year. As an example, in April 2024, the construction of a special needs education classroom block at Marulamantsi Junior Secondary School was completed and handed to government. In addition, an early childhood education building has been constructed at Nkoyaphiri Primary School to enable approximately 60 children to receive pre-school education every year. It is scheduled to be handed over next month. 

“The relationship between Japan and Botswana is not only limited to economic cooperation. We are engaged in a cultural partnership with Ben Thema Primary School in Gaborone, through the exchange of children's paintings with Chigasaki Elementary School in Yokohama, Japan. 

This has been ongoing since 2014. For this cultural exchange between Japan and Botswana, Ben Thema Primary School was awarded the Japan Foreign Minister's Commendation in 2024,” Mr Ogawa added. 

He also noted an inter-university exchange between Akita University and the University of Botswana (UB) as well as the Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST), to support students who were interested in studying in Japan. 

In January BIUST held the opening ceremony of the Akita University office. The UB office will also open soon, he said, adding that as the number of young people in Japan was declining, Japanese universities were making efforts to attract excellent students from overseas. 

He expressed hope that the number of Batswana students studying in Japan would increase in the near future. 

The current population of Japan is about 125 million and has been on a decline since 2011, with young people’s numbers also dwindling. 

Mr Ogawa also appreciated the vibrancy of the high-level exchanges between Japan and Botswana, citing last week’s African Union Summit, on the sidelines of which a bilateral meeting was held between Minister of International Relations, Dr Phenyo Butale and Japan's Parliamentary Vice-Minister, which he described as fruitful. For his part, Dr Butale noted that Botswana and Japan’s bilateral relations were rooted in shared values including respect for human rights, democracy, the rule of law and promotion of fairness. 

These shared values and principles, along with commitment to people-centred developments, have united our nations and played a crucial role in deepening bilateral cooperation. 

Of note, he mentioned the financing of Kazungula bridge, helping with alleviation of socio-economic impact of COVID-19 and grant support for small educational projects, now over 70 such initiatives and still counting. 

Dr Butale acknowledged the presence of Japanese volunteers in and around Gaborone, whose efforts, he said, reflected enthusiasm and dedication to serving the nation. 

He said Botswana was looking forward to deepening relations with Japan, especially in areas of trade and investment. ENDS