Parliamentary Exchange between Japan and the Federated States of Micronesia

On October 22, Senator Peter Christian（Former President）, Senator Johnson Asher, and Senator Andy Choor of the Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), who were visiting Japan, held a meeting with the FSM-Japan Parliamentary Friendship League. They paid a courtesy call on Mr. Eisuke Mori, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Mr. Keiichi Ishii, Vice-Speaker of the House of Representatives. Ambassador Kagomiya was also in attendance at these meetings.
 
The meeting with the FSM-Japan Parliamentary Friendship League was attended by the following members of parliament from the Japanese side: Mr. Keiji Furuya, Chairman of the League; Mr. Daishiro Yamagiwa, Secretary-General; Mr. Yoshitaka Ito, Deputy Secretary-General; Mr. Hisayuki Fujii, Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications; Mr. Shunsuke Takei, Mr. Shinichiro Kawamatsu, and Mr. Kiyoshi Igarashi. Chairman Furuya and the other Japanese attendees welcomed the visit of the FSM senators. They expressed their desire to strengthen the friendly relations between the two countries and to advance Japan's assistance, including in climate change mitigation and digital technology, with the Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM) scheduled for next year in mind. They also highlighted the importance of local government exchanges, youth exchanges, and sports exchanges.
 
The FSM senators expressed their gratitude for Japan's support to date. Noting that this year marks the 40th anniversary of the FSM's independence and the 38th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and the FSM, they expressed their desire to further enhance mutual understanding, conduct regular dialogues between parliamentarians to strengthen trust, and promote cooperation. Furthermore, they mentioned that Senator Choor participated in this year's General Assembly of the Asian-Pacific Parliamentarians' Union (APPU) and expressed the FSM Congress’s intention to continue sending representatives to future general assemblies.
 
During the courtesy call on Speaker Mori and Vice-Speaker Ishii, it was highlighted that Speaker Mori himself has contributed to strengthening bilateral relations as an advisor to the Association for Micronesia Development (AMD)(NPO). Both sides confirmed that they would continue to promote exchange and cooperation. Speaker Mori also expressed his gratitude for Senator Choor's participation in this year's APPU General Assembly, and the FSM side reiterated the importance of the APPU.