Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has on Tuesday (16.07.24) highlighted the 49-year-old bilateral relations Papua New Guinea has with Japan while acknowledging both countries’ commitments to entrenching this re- lationship further.

For Papua New Guinea, PM Marape said he hoped to see this deepening further in all areas of cooperation to also cover defence, trade, foreign affairs, and additional investment in gas development in PNG.

While describing Japan as “a steadfast friend” of Papua New Guinea, PM Marape went on to acknowledge and thank Japan for continuing to import from Papua New Guinea and for its development assistance over the 49 years which, to 2023, has amounted to more than K6 billion.

The Prime Minister made the remarks while meeting his Japanese counterpart, Prime Minister Hon. Fumio Kishida in a bilateral meeting on Tuesday evening on the margins of the 10th Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM10) this week.

Japan continues its ranking as one of PNG’s three biggest trading partners, where most times PNG sees trade surpluses from Japan buying more of PNG’s produce and raw materials than PNG importing from Japan.

Prime Minister Marape highlighted these facts, while revealing that in 2023 and 2022, Japan spent over K7 billion and K8 billion respectively in buying from PNG produce and raw materials.

“Thank you for your warm hospitality which symbolizes our continued friendship. Japan has remained a steadfast friend of Papua New Guinea. The people and government of PNG truly value Japan’s support and commitment to this relationship, and we would like to entrench this further,” he said.

As one of PNG’s biggest trading partners, Japan continues to buy from Papua New Guinea raw materials in copper, gold, logs, tuna, coffee, seafood, woodchip, shell, crocodile skin, vanilla, sawn timber and, recently, gas; while PNG imports from Japan motor vehicles, car parts and accessories, and machinery.

“This signifies a positive trade balance that indicates economic progress and this also comes at the back of PNG exporting its first LNG shipment to Japan in 2014,” PM Marape said, adding that he would like to see more Japanese companies investing in PNG in the energy sector to further diversify the PNG economy.

“We invite Japanese companies to look into opportunities in this area whether in actual construction, in business, or buying the gas. Japan is welcome.

“I also invite Japanese companies to enter the downstream processing and manufacturing focus of our government where we are moving away from exporting raw resources and toward finished products,” he said.

Prime Minister Marape continued by acknowledging Japan’s total cumulative Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) to PNG since 1975 when the two countries entered into  their  bilateral agreement  at  PNG’s  Independence, which has amounted to more than JPY200 billion (over K6 billion) in 2023.

He thanked the Government of Japan for supporting the development of transport and communications infrastructure, especially highlighting recent projects such as the upgraded Nadzab Tomodachi Airport, and the planned Tokua Airport upgrade, while inviting Japan to also consider Wewak airport because of Japanese presence in the Wewak area from 1940-1945.

“I am very happy to lead my delegation here on the margins of PALM10. PNG looks to play its role to make sure our country and the Pacific remain a very close friend of Japan as we collaborate as nations of the same ocean,” Prime Minister Marape concluded.