Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni visits Japan

Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni visits Japan

Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni on May 16 departed here to pay a five -day state visit in Japan to strengthen the relationship and bilateral cooperation between the two kingdoms.

At the welcoming ceremony, Emperor Akihito expressed hope that the king's visit would help enhance the friendly relations and understanding between the two countries, the imperial household agency were quoted as saying by the Japanese media system.
“The ceremony in a garden at the palace was attended by the emperor and empress, Crown Prince Naruhito and his brother Prince Akishino and his wife, as well as Prime Minister Hatoyama and his wife, Miyuki,” the agency said. In a speech at the royal banquet, King Sihamoni said Japan-Cambodia cooperation would "help expand stability for the region and the world to develop further," the agency said.
King Norodom Sihamoni, the 57-year son of former king Norodom Sihanouk, arrived in Tokyo on his first state visit to Japan, for meetings with Japanese royals and political leaders, the Agency added. This is first time of the king visit to Japan since he crowned Cambodian King in 2004. He visited Kyoto on April19 before returning home Thursday. During the stay in Japan, Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni allowed the Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama to pay the courtesy call on the talks on bilateral cooperation with Cambodia. “The state visit by the King will strengthen the relationship and cooperation between the two countries, according to the statement from the ministry of foreign affair and international cooperation of Cambodia said. Japan is the biggest donor for Cambodia to build infrastructure and development of country.
In March, the JETRO permanent office in Phnom Penh opened its office to serve the Japanese investors the reliable sources about investing in this Southeast Asian nation and would bridge the partnership between the local investors and the Japanese businesses.
Both sides said the relevant combined factors have contributed JETRO to open its permanent office in Phnom Penh, partially driven the Japanese investors to look into this Southeast Asian nation as investment radar.

Cambodia and Japan signed in July 2008 the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the protection and promotion of Japanese investment in the Kingdom. JETRO, which is a Japanese government-related organization established in 1958 for the main purpose of trade and investment promotion and economic cooperation, has 38 offices in Japan including the Tokyo headquarters and has another 72 overseas offices in 55 countries including in Cambodia. Japan, which is a key Cambodian donor, has injected Cambodia more than $2 billion in grant and loan for the country’s infrastructures development, human resource training and many other areas since early the 1990s.
Tokyo also pledged, during the Mekong-Japan Summit in November 2009, to offer $5 billion assistance for three-year plan for the Mekong sub-region development including Cambodia. Cambodia-Japan relation has worked closely and expands cooperation and to strengthen the ties regularly through exchange of the official’s visit. Japan is a partner of ASEAN countries that Cambodia also is a member. The total two-way trades between Cambodia-Japan between the two Asian nations have greatly increased to $255 million last year from only $104 million in 2000. ###