[Title] Samoa and Japan – Valued Friends connected by the Blue Pacific ( Samoa Observer )

Talofa Lava!

I will be visiting Samoa for my first tour to Pacific Island countries.

I have always looked forward to visiting Samoa, which is blessed with rich and beautiful seas and nature. I was told that the people of Samoa carry on traditional Polynesian customs. This is very similar to us Japanese: achieving economic growth while preserving our traditions.

I would like to pay my deep gratitude to the Government of Samoa and the people of Apia for their warm hospitality.

Last year, Japan and Samoa celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Relations have grown even closer.

Over the past 50 years, Japan has been a trusted friend of Samoa and supported its development. It is my conviction that people-to-people exchanges are the foundation of this friendship.

Samoa was the first Pacific country to host JICA Japan-Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCVs) in 1972. Since then, nearly 700 JOCVs have been dispatched to Samoa, working in a wide range of fields including education, health, construction, the environment, IT, sports and culture.

The ties - or "Kizuna" - between Japan and Samoa have become solid and strong, and Japan has become a trusted partner, which I believe is the result of JOCVs working together in the field with the people of Samoa.

To date, the largest number of JOCVs have been dispatched in the fields of education and sports, many of whom are science and mathematics teachers and primary school teachers. We are delighted by the contribution that our JOCVs are making to the future of the children of Samoa. Also, through their experiences, these energetic Japanese volunteers learn about Samoan culture and way of life, forge great memories of their time there and remain highly fond of Samoa.

Rugby has also been one of the major contributors to bringing the people of the two countries closer together at the grassroots level. Manu Samoa is a formidable competitor for the Japanese national team. Samoa's number of wins obviously surpasses those of Japan! Nevertheless, Japan's Brave Blossoms won against Manu Samoa at the Rugby World Cup in France last September, their second consecutive win following on from the England Rugby World Cup in 2015.

The eyes of Japanese fans were glued to their screens while watching the dynamic match between Japan and Samoa. There are Samoan students playing rugby at high schools in Japan, and my local team, the Shizuoka Blue Revs, also had a Samoan player. The Samoan players are a bridge of friendship to the younger generation in Japan.

Japan and Samoa are tied through our deep friendship and "Kizuna", and Japan wishes to continue to be a trusted friend of Samoa. This leads me to the two objectives of my visit to Samoa.

The first is to further promote friendly relations between Japan and Samoa. Japan and Samoa share fundamental values and principles such