Vanuatu and Japan are the same “Pacific Country”. Japan is facing toward the Pacific, and Vanuatu is fronting in the middle of the Pacific. In between these two countries, there is no walls nor mountains but the Pacific Ocean. I mean the Pacific Ocean is not hindering us but ties us.
I am newly appointed to Vanuatu in June 2024 then I knew that Vanuatu was named after “Vanua” (our land) and “Tu” (to stand). I am so grateful to become an islander and stand on this beautiful archipelago.
I feel deeply that our two nations share our core life values in many aspects. For example, fears to the nature, respect to the ancestors and former generations, and proud of own culture.
The Pacific Ocean is “Taihei-Yo” in Japanese translation. “Yo” means ocean and “Taihei” signifies calm/broad/peaceful atmosphere. For Japanese people, The Pacific Ocean is thus wide and broad ocean which shows us the huge horizon, and which arouses our curiosity to our neighbors over the horizon.
Eight years after the independence of Vanuatu (in 1988), JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) has opened its overseas branch in Vanuatu across The Pacific, and we are here to strengthen our friendships and to extend our technical and financial assistances over the ocean. And exchange of human resources over the Pacific is also our role. (ex. study abroad in Japan, dispatch of Japanese experts/volunteers to Vanuatu)
As time goes by, the needs of the society value in all the time. The most efficient way to sense this change is at first continuous dialogues. In that trust, JICA extends around 100 overseas offices all over the world. I think that JICA Vanuatu Office is one of the happiest offices among JICA because you are very friendly, polite, positive, and mindful to the community.
UCHIJIMA, Mitsutaka
Resident Representative
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