President Tanaka Visited the Dominican Republic and Jamaica

JICA President Tanaka Akihiko visited the Dominican Republic and Jamaica in the Caribbean region from July 25 to August 1.

In his first visit to the Dominican Republic as JICA president, he visited the local Nikkei (people of Japanese immigrants and their descent) community and attended a ceremony to commemorate 68 years since the start of Japanese immigration to the country. President Tanaka also met with President Luis Abinader and other key officials, marking 90 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries and the 60th anniversary of Japanese ODA. In Jamaica, President Tanaka met with Prime Minister Andrew Holness and other government officials to celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations and signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) on future cooperation under the J-J (Japan-Jamaica) Partnership.

President Tanaka participated in a ceremony commemorating Japanese immigration held in Santo Domingo on July 28. The ceremony takes place annually to mark the arrival of the first group of immigrants at the Dajabón settlement near the Haitian border on July 29, 1956.
President Tanaka acknowledged JICA’s role in the history of Japanese immigration to the Dominican Republic and praised the significant contributions made by immigrants and Japanese descendants to the development of shared goodwill. He expressed deep respect for the history built by immigrants and a firm expectation for this Nikkei community to serve as a bridge between the two countries. Additionally, he emphasized the importance of JICA’s cooperation in nurturing the next generation of human resources in the Dominican Republic, cultivating trust with the Nikkei community, and co-creating a future together.

Prior to this, President Tanaka visited Dajabón, where he saw the homes of former immigrants, their current community center, and other facilities, interacting with local Nikkei families. In Santo Domingo, President Tanaka also met with Japanese descendants and young leaders for the next generation, listened to a report from junior high school students who visited Japan as part of the Education Program for Nikkei Next Generation, and shared thoughts on the coming 70th anniversary of immigration in 2026 and future exchanges between the two countries.

President Tanaka also met with President Luis Abinader, re-elected in June of this year, as well as other senior government officials. He confirmed that Japan would continue to promote sustainable socio-economic development between the two democratic and friendly countries as 2024 marks 90 years of diplomatic relations and the 60th anniversary of the start of Japanese ODA to the Dominican Republic. President Abinader expressed an aim to learn from Japan’s development experiences as the Dominican Republic progresses toward becoming a high-income country. Additionally, he conveyed appreciation and gratitude for the significant social and economic contributions of the Nikkei community to the country.

President Tanaka subsequently visited Jamaica, where he met with Prime Minister Andrew Holness. The Prime Minister expressed gratitude for the recently completed Project for Improvement of Emergency Communication System, in which, following damages caused by Hurricane Beryl in July, Japan provided grant aid to help secure communications availability during hurricanes, as well as for Japan’s significant contribution of emergency relief supplies in the early days after the disaster.

As the two countries celebrate their 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations, discussions were held regarding strengthening the J-J (Japan-Jamaica) Partnership, after which an MoC was signed to advance the Jamaican government’s efforts to improve disaster prevention capabilities, enhance public safety by strengthening local police, and promote economic development.

Finally, President Tanaka visited Craighton Estate, a coffee farm owned by a local subsidiary of UCC Ueshima Coffee Co., Ltd.
In the 1980s, JICA supported the development of the coffee industry in the Blue Mountain region of Jamaica with an ODA loan under the Blue Mountain Coffee Development Project and a development investment loan under the Blue Mountain Coffee Development Pilot Project. During President Tanaka’s visit, the current situation and challenges facing the coffee industry were shared, including declining yields due to natural disasters, coffee rust disease, and pests, as well as a shortage of future workers owing to the labor-intensive nature of coffee farming, which deters young people from entering the industry.