Japan promises to send ships and farm equipment to the islands

The Cook Islands and Japan discussed strengthening cooperation on climate change, shipping, renewable energy, technology, and regional issues such as nuclear wastewater discharge and Pacific banking.

On the edge of 10^day Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown discussed current and future bilateral cooperation with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida at the Japan-Pacific Islands Leaders’ Meeting (PALM10) in Tokyo this week.

The two leaders pledged to continue cooperation in areas such as climate adaptation, shipping, oceans and marine resources, renewable energy, trade, tourism, technology and people-to-people exchanges. They also discussed regional and multilateral issues.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration (MFAI) said in a statement that they were also committed to continuing to work together to procure an inter-island vessel capable of meeting the needs of the Cook Islands Outer Islands service.

“They discussed cooperation supported by the Japan Grassroots Programme, which has provided more than NZ$6 million in funding to various Cook Islands community programmes in Rarotonga and the Outer Islands since diplomatic relations were established between the two countries in 2011,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

“They discussed expanding bilateral technical cooperation arrangements to include emerging areas of priority for the Cook Islands such as technology, particularly cybersecurity and digital banking solutions, and deep sea and seabed minerals. They reviewed Japan’s support for capacity development of over three hundred Cook Islanders over the past three decades.”

The Japanese Prime Minister also conveyed the decision to provide agricultural equipment such as farm tractors to the Cook Islands.

Prime Minister Brown welcomed Prime Minister Kishida’s increased involvement in Japan’s partnership in the Pacific region since the beginning of last year.

“This is reflected in the ‘all-Japan’ approach we have experienced in recent months, particularly since arriving in Japan this week, where we have had extensive face-to-face engagement with Japanese parliamentarians, local government governors, the private sector community, academia, youth and civil society representatives,” Brown said.

The Prime Minister of the Cook Islands has met with Japanese companies that import products from the Cook Islands, including Rito Cook Islands, and with representatives of a number of companies that supply the country with products of interest, particularly in the technology sector.

On regional and multilateral issues, the two leaders discussed the ALPS nuclear wastewater discharge, the Pacific Resilience Fund, digital banking cooperation, etc.

“Regarding the ALPS discharge, we reaffirmed our shared commitment to safeguarding the health, environment, and marine resources of the Pacific region, and I welcome Prime Minister Kishida’s assurance that Japan will never authorize a discharge in a manner that would jeopardize the well-being and livelihoods of Pacific peoples or adversely affect human health and the marine environment,” Brown said.

“I ask Prime Minister Kishida to consider Japan’s contribution to the Pacific Resilience Fund. I also seek support for continued collaboration to help reduce banking costs in the Pacific and ensure continued agency banking, including through digital banking products already offered by Japanese fintech companies in East Asia.”

Prime Minister Kishida and Prime Minister Brown will co-chair the PALM10 Leaders’ Summit, and the outcomes of the summit will be outlined in the Leaders’ Declaration and Joint Action Plan to be issued at the end of the summit.