President William Ruto is set to travel to Japan between February 6-7 on an official visit.
In his maiden visit to Japan as President, Ruto is scheduled to hold talks with Emperor Naruhito and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo. He will be accompanied by, among others, First Lady Rachel Ruto.
“During their stay in Japan, the President and Mrs. Ruto will make a State Call on Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan, and Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan will host a Court Luncheon in honor of the President and Mrs. Ruto. Mr. KISHIDA Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan, will hold a summit meeting with the President. Prime Minister and Mrs. Kishida will host a dinner for the President and his spouse,” Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says in a statement released on January 26.
“The Government of Japan sincerely welcomes the visit of President Ruto and First Lady Rachel and hopes that this visit will further strengthen the friendly relations between Japan and the Republic of Kenya,” the statement added.
During the visit, President Ruto and the First Lady will tour Tokyo and Aichi Prefecture, a manufacturing hub in central Honshu Island.
“‘Through the visit to Aichi, further development between both countries’ regional exchange is expected,” the ministry said.
Ruto last visited Japan as the Deputy President in 2013 for the Fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V).
It is seen a reciprocal visit following one by PM Kishida to Kenya in May 2023. Kishida’s trip to Kenya was part of a four-leg African tour – Â Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique – and the first by a Japanese prime minister since August 2016.
During the visit, Ruto and Kishida agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the fields of decarbonization, infrastructure development and bolstering economic ties.
The two leaders condemned Russia for its invasion of Ukraine while affirming the importance of the rule of law, and agreed on promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific region, Japan’s Foreign Ministry said. It added that the Japanese government views Kenya as a “like-minded country” in realizing the free and open Indo-Pacific, or FOIP, vision.
Japan will continue to cooperate with Kenya by providing infrastructure development assistance for the East African nation’s port of Mombasa, Kishida said during a joint press briefing after the meeting.
The two leaders said enabling fair and transparent financial development is important for alleviating Kenya’s debt problems.
At the time, they also discussed the situation in Sudan following the the break out of the war in April 2023. with Kishida saying Japan welcomes Kenya’s readiness, along with Djibouti and South Sudan, to help end the fighting.
