Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Hirotaka Ishihara's Visit to Mozambique, Guinea and Burkina Faso

TOKYO, Japan, July 28, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — 1. Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Hirotaka Ishihara is scheduled to visit Mozambique, Guinea and Burkina Faso from June 25 to July 4.

2. In Mozambique, Parliamentary Vice-Minister Ishihara will make a statement on behalf of the Government of Japan at a high-level session of the Third Review Conference of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, which will be held in Maputo. He is also scheduled to visit Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) project sites and exchange views with those concerned.

3. In Guinea and Burkina Faso, Parliamentary Vice-Minister Ishihara is scheduled to hold meetings with key Government officials in order to further strengthen ties with the two countries through follow-up discussions on last year’s Fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V) and the First TICAD V Ministerial Meeting, which was held in May this year.

(Reference 1) Itinerary of Parliamentary Vice-Minister Ishihara’s Visit

June 25 Departure from Japan

June 26 Arrival in Mozambique

June 26 Arrival in Mozambique

June 28 Departure from Mozambique

June 29 Arrival in Guinea

July 1 Departure from Guinea

1 arrival in Burkina Faso

2 Departture from Burkina Faso

4 Arrival in Japan

(Reference 2) The Third Review Conference of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention

The Third Review Conference of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention is scheduled to be held in Maputo from June 23 to 27. Review Conferences are held every five years. The Third Review Conference aims to assess the progress that has been made in the past 15-year period since the Convention’s entry into force and to discuss remaining challenges. As of June 1, 161 states are States Parties to the Convention. Japan became a States Party on September 30, 1998.