President Alan García paid an official visit to Japan on March 17th and 18th, 2008. He was accompanied by the following authorities.
1. Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Antonio García Belaunde
2. Minister of Agriculture , Ismael Benavides
3. Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Dra. Mercedes Araoz
4. Minister of Energy and Mining , Ing. Juan Valdivia
5. Minister of Housing and Construction, Dr. Enrique Cornejo
6.Vice Minister of Fisheries, Alfonso Miranda
An important group of Peruvian Entrepreneurs also traveled to Japan leading by the President of the Peruvian Japanese Entrepreneurial Committee (CEPEJA), Luis Vega Monteferri, the President of CONFIEP, Jaime Cáceres Sayán, the President of the National Society of Industries, Eduardo Farah and the President of the National Society of Fisheries, Almirante ® Raúl Sánchez Sotomayor. They participated in the VII Meeting of CEPEJA and in the Seminar on Investment in Peru.
The President of Peru had meetings with His Majesty the Emperor of Japan and the Prime Minister of Japan, Mr. Yasuo Fukuda.
In the latter meeting it was announced the decision of both governments in initiate the negotiations for a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT). It was also announced the approval of the financing of development projects on basic services such electricity, water and sewer system in different areas of Peru for about US$220 millions.
President García and Prime Minister Fukuda signed a “Joint Statement on Enhanced Cooperation in Environment and Climate Change Issues between the Republic of Peru and Japan” and agreed to give a new dynamism to the bilateral relations according the vast potentialities and complementarities in the political, commercial, cultural, touristic and investment areas. President García expressed his satisfaction by the visit of Prime Minister Fukuda to Peru, on November 2008, to participate in APEC leaders meeting and invited him to pay an official visit to Peru on that occasion. President García also extended an invitation to visit Peru to Prince Naruhito, having in mind the realized by His Majesty the Emperor 41 years ago.
The President had also working meetings with the Executive Director of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Mr..Yasuo Hayashi, the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Tokyo, Mr. Tadashi Okamura, the Governor of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), Mr. Koji Tanami and the Vice president of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Mr. Kenzo Oshima. President García also met a delegation of the Peruvian communitiy living in Japan in order to listen on their difficulties, problems and suggestions.
President García participated as key speaker in the Seminar “Invest in Peru, Business Hub in South America” where announced the establishment of the “Amano Circuit” that will integrate the main archeological sites studied by Japanese archeologists during almost a half century mainly in the north of Peru. The Ministers of Agriculture, Foreign Trade and Tourism, Energy and Mining, Housing and Construction and the Vice Minister of Fisheries also participated presenting to more than 250 enterprises and Japanese authorities the investment opportunities in their respective areas.
The Seminar coincided with the renewal of activities of the Peruvian Japanese Entrepreneurial Committee (CEPEJA), after eight years, whose purpose is to increase the commerce and investment flux between both countries. More than twenty five Peruvian entrepreneurs from different sectors traveled to Japan for this special occasion. The Presidents of the Peruvian and Japanese sections are Mr. Luis Vega Monteferri y the Director of Mitsui Smelting Company, Mr. Shimpei Miyamura, respectively. President García was interviewed during his visit by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei), the Yomiuri Shimbun and the NHK television. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Antonio García Belaunde, interchanged with the Japanese Minister Masahiro Koumura, documents that let the Japanese donation of Y 785 millions, approximately US$ 8millions to be utilized in the Reconstruction Program on the area affected by the Earthquake in the Department of Ica .
The State Ministers had several meetings with high authorities, institutions, entrepreneurs and investors from Japan. The Ministers of Foreign Trade and Tourism and Energy and Mining met the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, Mr. Akira Amari, to dialogue on the important possibilities that Peru offers for Japanese investment and to promote the signing of a Economic Partnership Agreement in the next years. They agreed that the future negotiation of the BIT is an important step to that objective. The Minister of Agriculture had a meeting with the Japanese Vice minister of his sector and the Director of the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) of Yokohama, while the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure visited the Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport , entrepreneurs and other authorities .
