Bilateral relations between Japan and the Republic of South Africa

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Official Website (on South Africa)

Basic Data (January 2003)

Number of Residents:

Number of Japanese nationals residing in South Africa: 1,179 (as of October 2002)

Number of South African nationals residing in Japan: 182 (as of December 2002)

Japanese firms with branches in South Africa:

63 (as of October 2002)

Trade between Japan and South Africa in 2002:

Exports from Japan to South Africa: 194.3 billion yen (general machinery, electric machinery, automobiles, auto parts)

Imports from South Africa to Japan: 361.8 billion yen (food products, metal products [including nonferrous metals and steel], crude metals, coal, gold [other than for currency])

Direct investment in South Africa:

Fiscal 2001: 2 cases, 8.3 billion yen

From fiscal 1993 to fiscal 2001, total: 33 cases, 82.5 billion yen

Economic Cooperation:

List of Grant Aid - Exchange of Notes in Fiscal Year 2001 (totals through 1998; figures in parentheses are for fiscal 1998 alone)

ODA loans: 20.1 billion yen (6 billion yen)

ODA grants: 3.7 billion yen (1.2 billion yen)

Technical cooperation: 1.6 billion yen (406 million yen)

VIP Visits From Japan to South Africa:

May 1994 Keisuke Nakanishi, Member of the House of Representatives, as a Special Envoy (to attend the inauguration of President Nelson Mandela)

August 1994 President of the House of Councilors Bunbei Hara

September 1994 Director General of the Defense Agency Tokuichiro Tamazawa

April 1996 Minister for Foreign Affairs Yukihiko Ikeda

May 1996 Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Ichiro Hino

July 1997 Minister of Public Welfare Junichiro Koizumi

January 2001 Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori

March 2001 Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs Yoshitaka Sakurada

VIP Visits from South Africa to Japan:

October 1990 Deputy President of the African National Congress Nelson Mandela

August 1991 Thabo Mbeki, Head of the Department of International Affairs, African National Congress

March 1992 Minister of Foreign Affairs Pik Botha

June 1992 President F. W. de Klerk

November 1994 President of the Senate Hendric Coetsee

January 1995 Minister of Foreign Affairs Alfred Nzo

July 1995 President Nelson Mandela

April 1998 Mr. Thabo Mbeki, Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa

Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Minister for Health

September 1998 Dr. Panuel Maduna, Minister of Minerals and Energy Affairs

October 1998 Mr. Thabo Mbeki, Deputy President (TICAD II)

Dr. Frene Noshir Ginwala, Speaker of the National Assembly (TICAD II)

October 1998 Mr. Patric Mosiuoa Lekota, President of the National Council of Provinces

March 2000 Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Minister of Foreign Affairs

Ms. Brigitte Mabandla, Deputy Minister of Arts, Culture, Science, and Technology

March 2000 Fr. Smangaliso Mkhatshwa, Deputy Minister of Education

May 2000 Mr. Ebrahim Ebrahim, Portfolio Committee for International Affairs, the National Assembliy

June 2000 Dr. Jeff Radebe, Minister of Public Enterprises

July 2000 Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Minister of Foreign Affairs (Dialogue between the G8 Foreign Ministers and Foreign Ministers of Developing Nations)

July 2000 Mr. Thabo Mbeki, President of the Republic of South Africa(Dialogue between the G8 Leaders and Leaders of Developing Nations)

Mr. Aziz Pahad, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

August 2000 Dr. Ngoako Ramathlodi, the Premier of Nothern Province

September 2000 Mr. Tony Sithembiso Yengeni, Chief Whip of African National Congress, National Assembly

October 2000 Mr. Alec Erwin, Minister of Trade and Industry

October 2000 Dr. Baldwin Sipho Ngbane, Minister of Arts, Culture, Science, and Technology

November 2000 Mr. Jabu Moleketi, Provincial Minister for Finance and Economic Affairs, Gauteng Province

April 2001 Mr. Alec Erwin, Minister of Trade and Industry

October 2001 Mr. Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki, President of the Republic of South Africa

Japan extends R93M for better health in KZN.

Japan extended assistance in the amount of R93 million for the improvement of health facilities in the Kwazulu-Natal province

The Government of Japan extended its assistance for the construction of Nseleni Community Health Centre and the provision of medical equipment for eight (8) hospitals and forty-four (44) clinics in the Kwazulu-Natal Province in the amount of 139 Million Japanese Yen (R93 Million).

It is expected that about 760,000 people in the Uthungulu Municipality will benefit from the project. The Japanese assistance also extends skills improvement to the medical staff for the effective management of the equipment as well as health promotion education, which covers the whole of the Kwazulu-Natal Province. 8.4 Million people in the province will therefore benefit from this project.

The Japanese Grant Aid Assistance for the Health sector in South Africa aims to enhance human capacity building in isolated areas based on providing an environment that offers people appropriate medical support.

The Health sector is one of Japan?’s most highly prioritised areas. It recognises the importance of affording access to adequate health services to as many communities as possible.

This grant is intended to assist the South African government in achieving its aim to increase opportunity to access better medical treatment and care who are challenged with limitations in funding and resources as a result of South Africa?’s past political turmoil.

11 April 2003