Message from the Chief Representative

Welcome to the website of the JICA Mexico Office!

I am Hajime Tsuboi, Director General of JICA Mexico Office.

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Mexico is one of the countries in Latin America with which Japanese people feel most familiar. It has a rich and diverse natural environment with deserts, mountains, rainforests and beaches; a long history and culture represented by the Mayan and Aztec civilizations; and it is world renowned for its famous tacos, tequila, nopales, lucha libre and mariachi. But in reality, the country has a history of more than 400 years of friendly relations with Japan (dating back to 1609, when the governor of the Philippines and native of Tecamachalco, Mexico was rescued from the sea in Onjyuku, Chiba Prefecture). The opening of Japan to the outside world during the Meiji era (1868-1912) led to the signing of the first friendship treaty (the Treaty of Friendship and Commerce and Navigation between Japan and Mexico). It is worth noting that the first group of Japanese migrants in Latin America (the Enomoto Colony) settled in the state of Chiapas.

In recent years, the relationship between Japan and Mexico has grown even stronger economically, and with the entry into force of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) in 2005, approximately 1,300 Japanese companies, including those related to the automotive sector, are currently operating in Mexico.

Since its establishment in Mexico in March 1973, JICA has provided technical cooperation, financial cooperation (both reimbursable and non-reimbursable) and voluntary dispatch to address a wide range of problems. The scope of our work has covered various sectors, such as environment, disaster risk reduction, industrial development, agricultural development, resources and energy, as well as health and medical care, but we continue to direct our efforts towards strengthening human resources and institutions.

Since last year, the spread of COVID-19 has caused great damage to Mexico's society and economy. In the face of this, JICA has been working on 1) strengthening supporting industries, 2) climate change countermeasures and disaster risk reduction, 3) supporting socially vulnerable groups, and 4) through the Joint Mexico-Japan Program (JMPP) using triangular cooperation to other Latin American countries, we strengthen our contribution to Mexico and the Latin American region as a whole.

We also hope to play a role as a catalyst and nexus to further strengthen the ties and exchanges between our two countries, generating a reciprocal "win-win", together with the Japanese community in Mexico which has a long history and is said to have more than 70,000 Japanese descendants, as well as businesses, universities and local governments with close ties to Mexico.

We hope this website will be of interest to you and please feel free to contact us at any time.

Respectfully yours,

TSUBOI Hajime
General Manager
JICA Mexico Office

  • TSUBOI Hajime General Manager JICA Mexico Office