By Chief Reporter AVA TURNQUEST in Tokyo

TOKYO, Japan - Climate change and disaster risk reduction will take centre stage during the ministeriallevel talks between Japan and CARICOM member states this week.
The country is hosting delegations representing the 14 Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member
states this week in a bid to strengthen partnership on international issues ahead of critical United
Nations meetings next year.
Maki Kobayashi, director of the Caribbean Division within Japans Ministry of Foreign Affairs, explained
the Caribbean bloc had substantial influence as active members in the international arena, and
increased solidarity on foreign policy issues that impacted Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
Officials will also seek to establish cooperation on international issues of disarmament and nonproliferation, development, United Nations reform particularly Security Council reform and the post2015 Development Agenda.
We would like to advance rapidly and profoundly the relationship that we have with Caribbean
countries, to cooperation in terms of economic development in order to ensure sustainable
development of CARICOM, because Caribbean countries are vulnerable particularly as Small Island
Developing States and as Japan also has small islands within our territory we have experiences and
challenges that we share with the Caribbean community, Ms Kobayashi said.
We put a lot of importance to work together to overcome vulnerabilities and increase resistance to
natural disasters. We both are energy importing countries so we would like to find ways to overcome
issues of how to mix with renewable energy and fossil fuel energy, what we can do to work together in
order to cope with climate change but at the same time mitigate the effects of climate change which are
natural disaster and energy issues.
Both Japan and CARICOM member states share common perspectives on a number of issues as
democratic nations with similar geographical characteristics, Ms Kobayashi added.

The first consultation meeting to establish the Japan-CARICOM relationship was held in Jamaica in 1993,
and this year was commemorated as Japan-CARICOM Friendship Year.
The fourth ministerial-level conference will take place on Saturday, and will follow up on policy outlined
at the Japan-CARICOM Summit held in Trinidad and Tobago in July. The country also hopes to deepen
mutual trust through bilateral meetings with individual member states.
Seven foreign ministers, and one trade minister, will attend the meetings, with the remaining seven
member states to be represented by designated officials.
Picewell Forbes, High Commissioner to CARICOM, will lead the Bahamas delegation.