Mr Toshiro Ozawa, Ambassador of Japan, presented credentials to
His Majesty King Letsie III of the Kingdom of Lesotho

Visit to the Maseru Site where Secondary Schools funded by the Government of Japan are being built.Ambassador Toshiro Ozawa presented his Letters of Credence to His Majesty King Letsie III at the Royal Palace on the 30th of April, 2009, and began his official duties as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Kingdom of Lesotho.

At the ceremony, Ambassador Ozawa expressed his appreciation to the Kingdom of Lesotho for opening its Embassy in Tokyo in 2007. He expressed his intent to further strengthen the cordial ties between the two countries.

In reply, His Majesty King Letsie III expressed his appreciation to the contribution of Japan to the development of Lesotho, notably in the areas of education and agriculture. His Majesty expressed his hope to expand the bilateral cooperation in other areas as well.

On the occasion of his visit to Lesotho, Ambassador Ozawa also met with His Excellency Mr. Archibald L. Lehohla, Deputy Prime Minister; Mr. Mohlabi K. Tsekoa, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Dr. Timothy Thabane, Minister of Finance and Development Planning and Mr. S. Motanyane, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly. The exchange of views through these meetings is expected to lead to enhanced Japan-Lesotho cooperation.

Message from Ambassador Ozawa

Ambassador OzawaThe Kingdom of Lesotho is a small country with a population of about two million people. It is a mountainous country with beautiful sceneries, but is surrounded totally by South Africa.

The diplomatic relations between Japan and the Kingdom of Lesotho was established in 1971. Japan is committed to promoting cordial bilateral relations with the Kingdom, especially through economic cooperation and capacity building efforts. We should not forget that the Kingdom made an important decision when it opened its Embassy in Tokyo in 2007.

This was my first visit to Lesotho, and I was very happy to have the opportunity to meet 2 Japanese residents (out of a total of 3 (May 2009)). One person is working on a project in cooperation with JICA and the other is working in the UN system. The third Japanese resident is working in a NGO project. They are all full of energy, and while this is impressive, I think there are many more opportunities for Japanese youth to engage in within the Kingdom.