09/09/26 – Source: Kyodo News
Dear friends in Angola and Japan, today, September 9, we celebrate with great satisfaction the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Angola and Japan. This milestone is an opportunity to reflect on the history of friendship, cooperation, mutual respect, and admiration between our peoples, as well as to renew our commitment to further deepening our bilateral relations.
Angola and Japan share important values and characteristics, including courage, determination, resilience, and the ability to overcome adversity and turn challenges into opportunities. Our peoples also value culture, traditions, and the building of societies focused on the development and well-being of their populations.
In recent decades, Japan has been an important partner for Angola. In the post-civil war period, our country benefited from Japanese support through humanitarian programs, demining efforts, rehabilitation, and the equipping of hospitals—including the Josina Machel Hospital in Luanda—as well as initiatives aimed at social stabilization, the movement of people and goods, and the development of rural agriculture.
The opening of the Angolan Embassy in Japan in November 2000 and the Japanese Embassy in Angola in January 2005 marked a new phase in the strengthening of diplomatic ties and cooperation between the two countries.
Japanese cooperation contributed to the restoration of key infrastructure and the development of strategic sectors, including the rehabilitation of textile industrial facilities such as SATEC, Alassola, and Textang II; the expansion of communications; the modernization of the Port of Namibe and the Sacomar Mining Port; and initiatives in the areas of health, vocational training, energy and water, agriculture, tourism, and technical
Assistance.
In the economic sphere, we highlight the Japan-Angola Agreement on the Liberalization, Promotion, and Protection of Investments (ALPPI), which entered into force in July 2024 and serves as an important instrument for strengthening legal certainty, promoting investment, and fostering partnerships between companies in both countries.
Angola is committed to diversifying its economy, with a particular focus on agriculture, tourism, industry, trade, and services. In this context, we count on Japan as a strategic partner in promoting investment and creating new opportunities for cooperation.
We also highlight the Lobito Corridor, which is of strategic importance for regional and continental economic integration, as well as the Southern Corridor, linked to the Port of Namibe and the Moçâmedes Railway. These infrastructure projects could contribute significantly to African interconnectivity and attract investment.
On the political and diplomatic front, relations were strengthened through bilateral consultations and high-level visits. Of particular note are the visits by President João Manuel Goncalves Lourenço to Japan in 2019, 2023, and 2025. Participation in TICAD 9 in Yokohama was a particularly significant moment, when the President of Angola, in his capacity as Chairperson-in-Office of the African Union, co-chaired the event with the then Prime Minister of Japan, Shigeru Ishiba.
The future of our relations should prioritize sectors such as tourism, transportation, fisheries, energy and minerals, science, and technology, in addition to encouraging greater participation by Japanese companies in Angola through partnerships and joint ventures.
We also wish to strengthen cultural, academic, and tourism exchanges. The visa waiver for Japanese citizens holding ordinary passports has helped promote tourism between the two countries and increased interest in Angola’s heritage, landscapes, cuisine, and beaches.
The 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Angola and Japan represents not only a celebration of the past, but above all an opportunity to renew our commitments and build an even stronger and more dynamic strategic partnership focused on the challenges and opportunities of the future.
Long live the friendship between Angola and Japan!
Thank you very much.