Message from the Resident Representative

Welcome to JICA Costa Rica's website!

Costa Rica is a country in Central America with approximately 5 million people (approximately 1/24th the population of Japan and 1/7th the land area). You may know this country for its abundant nature and biodiversity as it has been featured in numerous TV programs. It is known as one of the top nations leading in caring for the environment, as it generates almost 100 percent of its electric energy from renewable resources, and is actively working to respond to climate change by achieving carbon neutrality. Moreover, the constitution enacted in 1949 abolished its armed forces, and at the same time, centered education and welfare on its national policy. We could say that "environment protection" and "peace" are two symbolic national mottos of Costa Rica.

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JICA's cooperation for Costa Rica started in 1974 with the technical cooperation for the electron microscope for the University of Costa Rica. The electron microscope and the technology introduced by Japanese experts are still utilized effectively after 48 years. They were not only used for medical researches, but also have contributed to many studies of diverse disciplines including chemistry, agronomy, and mining and manufacturing industries conducted by Costa Rica and other countries.

Similar to Japan, Costa Rica is one of the countries with high natural disaster risk. JICA is currently implementing a project on capacity development for disaster risk management in Central America, and invited experts and officers from the region to Japan to share the lessons learned, knowledge and technologies on disaster management. Today, many participants of this project are taking the initiative in the process of making Costa Rica's own disaster management plan. We are building a network with Central America sharing knowledge and experiences in order to protect as many lives as possible and to help build disaster-resilient nations.

The cooperation through Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer Program also started in 1974, and over 740 Japanese volunteers have served in a wide range of areas. Nowadays, volunteers serve for human development through diverse activities such as environment education, Japanese language education, and sports. I often come across with Costa Rican opinion leaders who have worked with our volunteers sharing their experiences.

As Costa Rica has already become an upper middle-income country, Costa Rica is a good partner for Japan that sustains and evolves the technologies and knowledge that we have shared through our cooperation programs. We hope that JICA Costa Rica continue to serve for the development and the reduction of disparities in this country, as well as for strengthening the relationship between Costa Rica and Japan in tackling global challenges.

April 2022
TAKANO Takeshi (Mr.)
Resident Representative
JICA Costa Rica Office