Countdown Ceremony for the Service of the East Micronesia Cable Project

On January 22, Ambassador Kagomiya attended the Countdown Ceremony for the launch of service of the East Micronesia Cable Project. This project is a joint project by Japan, Australia, and the United States, and will lay an optical submarine cable connecting the FSM, Nauru, and Kiribati to improve the international telecommunication environment of the three countries. For Kosrae states of the FSM, this is the first submarine cable connecting it to other states. At the ceremony, His Excellency Wesley Simina, President of the FSM, stated that “It was realized through the cooperation of Japan, the United States, and Australia, which are FSM’s principal development partners, and it means that for the first time all four states of FSM will be connected to the world. It advances our enduring principle that no island, and no community, should ever be left behind.”

In his remarks, Ambassador Kagomiya stated that this project symbolizes the strong friendly relations between Japan, the FSM, Australia, and the United States, and that it will lead to overcoming the lack of connectivity and isolation that are disadvantages of island countries. He also said he is proud that a Japanese company, NEC is undertaking this project and that Japanese technology will be utilized in a high-quality, reliable, and secure internet system, and he expressed his expectation that the digital network resulting from this project will be maximally utilized.