PRESS RELEASE -
JAPAN CARICOM BUSINESS SEMINAR- NOVEMBER 22, TRINIDAD
24 November 2011
The Japan-CARICOM Business Seminar was held in Trinidad and Tobago on November 22nd, 2011 at the Hyatt Regency in Port-of-Spain. The Seminar was conducted by a CARICOM-Japan Public-Private Joint Economic Mission, which materialised after a meeting between the Japanese Foreign Minister and the CARICOM Foreign Ministers in Tokyo, August 2010. The main objective of this Mission is to create new business ventures in the Caribbean region.
The opening segment of the seminar featured addresses from Mr. Yasushi Takase, Deputy Director-General of the Latin American and Caribbean Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Mr. Elvis Newton, Representative of the Chair of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations, CARICOM, and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Homeland Security, Labour, and Social Security of St. Christopher and Nevis, and Dr. Denny Lewis-Bynoe, Director of the Economics Department at the Caribbean Development Bank. Mr. Newton and His Excellency Tatsuaki Iwata, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan served as Joint Co-Chairs of the Seminar. Also representing the Government of Japan was the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
The Japanese delegation, headed by Mr. Yasushi Takase, also provided presentations from private sector entities in Japan such as Fujitsu, Marubeni, and Hitachi. Other Japanese private companies Mitsui and Mitsubishi, were also in attendance, along with JBIC (Japan Bank for International Cooperation) and JOGMEC (Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation), which are administrative corporations.
The eleven (11) CARICOM Member States which were represented at the Seminar included Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Guyana, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Christopher and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. The Honorary Consul General for Japan in Barbados Mr. Wayne Kirton adopted the role of the Seminar Observer. These CARICOM countries provided presentations inviting Japanese trade investments in Energy, Information Communication Technology and Natural Resources. This was followed by a discussion aimed at deepening mutual relations between both regions.
Prior to the presentation from Haiti, the Most Hon. Percival James Patterson, ON, OCC, PC, QC, Former Prime Minister of Jamaica and Special Representative from Haiti, expressed his sincere condolences to the people of Japan affected by the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami earlier this year. He also made an address regarding the relations between Japan and Haiti, and Japan and CARICOM Countries, and the possibility of that country becoming an investment destination for the Japanese delegation.
It is anticipated that the outcome of this Seminar will yield productive business transactions whilst enhancing the existing diplomatic ties between both regions.
At the end of the Seminar, the CARICOM-Japan Public-Private Joint Economic Mission headed to Jamaica for the second component of its economic discussions with the region.
For enquiries please contact
the Public Relations Desk
Embassy of Japan
at (868) 628-5991 ext 242
Email: embassyofjapan@gmail.com
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Embassy of Japan in Trinidad and Tobago 