Harare – President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Thursday met with the outgoing Ambassador of Japan to Zimbabwe, H.E. Shinichi Yamanaka, for a farewell courtesy call at State House, marking the end of the diplomat’s two year tour of duty which began in December 2023.

The meeting, hosted at State House saw the two leaders holding a closed door meeting which later saw the diplomat address the media.

In remarks to the media, Ambassador Yamanaka acknowledged the “high-end cooperation” between Japan and Zimbabwe. He specifically pointed to President Mnangagwa’s two visits to Japan this year—for the National Day of the Osaka Expo 2025 in July and the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) in August—as pivotal to improving bilateral relations.

“Business relations are also expanding. Last year, sesame exports to Japan started. These high-level exchanges have greatly contributed to the improvement of bilateral relations,” said Yamanaka.

The ambassador also highlighted the cultural affinity between the two nations, noting that Zimbabweans and Japanese share similar characters and that the Shona and Japanese languages have notable similarities.

He emphasized that further expansion of people-to-people exchanges would be important for future relations.

“Zimbabweans and Japanese share simular characters. The Shona and Japanese languages are almost similar. Further expansion of people to people exchanges are important for our bilateral relations,” he said.

On the practical front, Yamanaka outlined several areas where Japan is providing ongoing support to Zimbabwe. These include infrastructure development, specifically the rehabilitation of the North-South corridor road, food assistance, landmine clearance, and programs in education, health, and gender equality, including scholarships for Zimbabweans.

The meeting underscored a period of active diplomatic engagement between the two countries, with both sides expressing a commitment to continued partnership.