Skopje, 9 July 2023 (MIA) - The following year, Japan and North Macedonia mark 30 years since diplomatic relations were established and in regard to the cooperation thus far, Japan’s Ambassador to North Macedonia Otsuka Kazuya, in an interview with MIA, said that it has been consistently assessed as positive, and that is progressing with North Macedonia as a NATO member.

Japan supports the reform efforts of the Western Balkans towards EU integration, to ensure that the countries in the region can achieve stability and prosperity as members of Europe that share fundamental values such as democracy, basic human rights, and the rule of law.

“Development assistance to North Macedonia focuses on environmental measures including disaster prevention, cooperation in the field of climate change, development of the private sector, and education and health projects. Both are areas of focus for development by North Macedonia itself and by the European Union,” Otsuka said in an interview with MIA.

In terms of assistance to North Macedonia, in addition to JICA's technical cooperation and invitation programs, Japan is focusing on assistance through Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP). Based on the concept of human security, GGP aims at socio-economic development and provides necessary funds for relatively small-scale projects that directly benefit local residents. and medical institutions that are active in the country. Since 1996, Japan has used this scheme to provide North Macedonia with a total of 177 projects, equivalent to 8.9 million euros, mainly in the fields of health care, environment and education, he said.

In terms of private sector development, Japan will continue to improve the SME mentor system, dispatch Japanese experts, and provide meticulous cooperation in the development and fostering of SMEs, which are indispensable for the development of the private sector economy.

In the interview, Japanese Ambassador said that Japan-NATO relations have deepened rapidly in recent years. Prime Minister Kishida Fumio was the first Japanese prime minister to attend last year's NATO summit meeting. He shared with NATO member countries a strong sense of crisis that "today's Ukraine may be tomorrow's East Asia,'' and gained a broad understanding. Prime Minister Kishida Fumio is also attending the NATO summit meeting which will be held in Lithuania this month, he added.

Below is the full interview with Japan’s Ambassador to North Macedonia, Otsuka Kazuya:

Ambassador Otsuka Kazuya, you are Japan's third resident ambassador. The following year, Japan and North Macedonia mark 30 years since diplomatic relations were established. It may be early, and maybe not, but what activities are planned to mark the 30th anniversary?

Japan and North Macedonia established diplomatic relations in March 1994. Meanwhile, the two countries have inherited the Treaty of Commerce and Navigation, the Cultural Agreement, and the Reciprocal Visa Waiver Agreement that Japan and the former Yugoslavia concluded. The Embassy of Japan in Skopje opened in 2017, and I was appointed as the third ambassador to the country in December last year.

At the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations next year, the Japan Foundation will hold the exhibition of “Japanese Art and Beauty of Japanese dolls” at the National Archaeological Museum, and Japanese ukiyo-e exhibition owned by the Skopje City Museum, as well as the Japanese film festival are planned. We are also planning various commemorative cultural events such as art performances by artists from Japan and North Macedonia. On top of that, consideration is being given to the possibility of visits by dignitaries from Japan. I hope that this 30th anniversary will be widely celebrated by the people of both countries.

How do you assess bilateral co-operation with North Macedonia?

Our countries have kept relations also since the days of the former Yugoslavia. In 1976 Their Imperial Highnesses the Crown Prince and Princess, the present Their Majesties the Emperor emeritus and Empress emerita, visited Skopje. After North Macedonia's independence, high-level people-to-people exchanges and political dialogue between the two countries have continued.

I also attended the entire schedule of the "Prespa Forum Dialogue" in June, and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Yamada Kenji participated by video message.

When I exchanged views with President Stevo Pendarovski, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski, the Assembly Speaker Talat Xhaferi, and other dignitaries, they consistently emphasized the good relations between the two countries. As well as cooperation in the international arena is progressing with North Macedonia as a NATO member.

According to official data, North Macedonia exports the most tobacco and wine to Japan, Japan exports products of machine and light industry. Do you have targeted other areas in which exchange on both sides can strengthen?

According to Japanese statistics, North Macedonia's top exports to Japan consist of tobacco leaves and electric wires/cables, while Japan's exports to North Macedonia consist of automobile parts and chemical products. There is mutual demand for these items, and continued expansion is desired. The sales of Macedonian wine is still small in the market in Japan compared to Italian, French, Chilean, etc., and it is already losing its advantage in terms of price. I myself would like to promote the high quality of North Macedonian wines to Japanese consumers. In general, mutual promotion of Japanese and North Macedonian products is necessary, and there is great potential for expansion.

As early as 2018, Japan's initiative for co-operation between Japan and six Western Balkan countries, which are not part of the EU, including North Macedonia, was launched. How are things going in terms of that co-operation over the past five years and how interested are Japanese investors in the region?

Under the "Western Balkans Cooperation Initiative," Japan supports the reform efforts of the Western Balkans towards EU integration, to ensure that the countries in the region can achieve stability and prosperity as members of Europe that share fundamental values such as democracy, basic human rights, and the rule of law.

In terms of assistance to North Macedonia, in addition to JICA's technical cooperation and invitation programs, Japan is focusing on assistance through Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP). Based on the concept of human security, GGP aims at socio-economic development and provides necessary funds for relatively small-scale projects that directly benefit local residents. The target organizations are non-profit organizations such as NGOs, local governments, educational and medical institutions that are active in the country. Since 1996, Japan has used this scheme to provide North Macedonia with a total of 177 projects, equivalent to 8.9 million euros, mainly in the fields of health care, environment and education.

Since 2018, the “MIRAI” program (means “future” in Japanese and is also an acronym based on the first letters of the following keywords, as indicated: Mutual understanding, Intellectual Relations and Academic exchange Initiative.) invites young people from 6 countries to a joint study tour in Japan. In March of this year, with the corporation by RYCO (Regional Youth Cooperation Office), Japanese government jointly invited 23 people to Japan, and the group visited Hiroshima.

In Western Balkans as a region, Japan carried out a seminar on disaster prevention, a civil society summit, and a joint management human resource development courses were held locally.

JICA operates "Small and Medium Enterprises Mentor Service Development and Promotion Project in the Western Balkan Region" as a technical cooperation project for the region, and "Strengthening the Mentor System for SME in the Western Balkan Region" which developed the former, implemented with the experts dispatch scheme.

Although not part of Europe, Japan has consistently stressed support for our EU integration, which you probably appreciate as a factor of stability. At the commemoration of National Day of Japan here in Skopje, you sent a message that you remain committed to supporting the country's socio-economic development, which is key to EU integration. Could you please, further elaborate on this?

The Government of North Macedonia intends to set up the Agency for Digitalization to promote the transition to a digital society and improve its ability to respond to cyberattacks, which it considers important for the country's social and economic development. The Digital Agency of Japan and the Ministry of Information held a video conference to share Japan's experiences.

Development assistance to North Macedonia focuses on environmental measures including disaster prevention, cooperation in the field of climate change, development of the private sector, and education and health projects. Both are areas of focus for development by North Macedonia itself and by the European Union. In terms of environmental measures, the technical cooperation project "Project for Capacity Building for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation through Sustainable Forest Management and Utilization of Ecosystems" has entered its final year, and is in the final stages of formulating comprehensive measures together with the Crisis Management Bureau of the Internal Ministry. The grassroots grant aid will continue to provide local governments with equipment for waste disposal. Also, in order to promote cooperation on climate change measures with Japan, we are currently proposing the introduction of the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM).

In terms of private sector development, Japan will continue to improve the SME mentor system, dispatch Japanese experts, and provide meticulous cooperation in the development and fostering of SMEs, which are indispensable for the development of the private sector economy. Furthermore, we invite experts of North Macedonia to Japan for training courses.

The term stability is redefined after Russian military aggression in Ukraine. Membership in major world organisations and alliances is a guarantee, but current events are unpredictable. It was announced that a liaison office of NATO will be opened in Japan, it will be the first of its kind in Asia. What is the purpose of this step?

Japan-NATO relations have deepened rapidly in recent years. Prime Minister Kishida Fumio was the first Japanese prime minister to attend last year's NATO summit meeting. He shared with NATO member countries a strong sense of crisis that "today's Ukraine may be tomorrow's East Asia,'' and gained a broad understanding. Prime Minister Kishida Fumio is also attending the NATO summit meeting which will be held in Lithuania this month.

Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa also attended the NATO foreign ministers' meeting in April this year and conveyed a similar message.

Japan views Russia's aggression against Ukraine not as an event in distant Europe, but as a violation of the international law and fundamental principles that all countries should respect in order to maintain peace and stability in the international community. In order to end the Russia's aggression as soon as possible, Japan has continued to cooperate with like-minded countries, including the G7, to impose strict sanctions on Russia and provide strong support to Ukraine. We are also cooperating in the context of aggression against Ukraine in our relationship with NATO and through assistance to Ukraine through CAP （Comprehensive Assistance Package).

Japan and NATO are currently discussing a new Individual Tailored Partnership Program (ITPP), which will include goals and specific initiatives. Achieving this will require further practical cooperation between Japan and NATO. An establishment of a liaison office in Japan, if so decided by NATO, is a concrete and symbolic effort that embodies NATO's stance of strengthening its engagement in the Indo-Pacific. We believe that the establishment of this facility will be beneficial not only to the Indo-Pacific region, including Japan, but also to NATO. In order to realize this matter, we would like to continue to work closely with North Macedonia and other NATO countries.

Japan recently announced plans to offer friendly countries financial support to strengthen their defenses. What’s the new security policy of Japan? What is your support for Ukraine and do you plan to further tighten sanctions against Russia?

At a time when we are at unprecedented historical turning point, with Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, challenging the very foundations of the international order, Japan formulated, at the end of the last year, a new National Security Strategy and will fundamentally reinforce defense capabilities.

Guided by their own historical views and values, some nations, not sharing universal values, are making attempts to revise the existing international order. Japan will maintain and protect universal values, such as freedom, democracy, respect for fundamental human rights and the rule of law, and international order based on international law. Japan will attach importance to coexistence and co-prosperity alongside other countries, cooperation with like-minded countries, and multilateral cooperation.

I would like to emphasize that our National Security Strategy includes its principle to strengthen cooperation with NATO and other like-minded countries. In this regard, NATO’s new “strategic concept” adopted in June last year, positions China as a "systemic challenge" for the first time, and clearly states the threat of Sino-Russian cooperation. It also clearly states that the Indo-Pacific can directly affect the security of the Euro-Atlantic. Therefore Japan and NATO strengthen cooperation through the revised ITPP.

Japan has assisted Ukraine, in a security-related issue; accepts wounded Ukrainian soldiers to the Self-Defense Force hospitals, provides SDF trucks and other vehicles, drones, bulletproof vests and other materials, and contributed $30 million to NATO's CAP Trust Fund for Ukraine. In terms of cooperation in the civilian sector, we have provided a total of approximately $2.1 billion in assistance for humanitarian, recovery and reconstruction assistance, and has provided fiscal support loans of approximately $5 billion through credit enhancement to the World Bank. At the Hiroshima Summit held in May, Japan, as the chair country, played a central role in pledging to President Volodymyr Zelensky to continue to support Ukraine. At the "Ukraine Reconstruction Conference" held in London on June 21, Japan also announced $70 million in aid for the energy sector.

Japan also provide Emergency Grant Aid of $ 5 million as support in response to the flood disaster in southern Ukraine.

Japan has set sanctions against Russia in cooperation with the international community, such as financial-related measures including freezing the assets of Russian government officials such as President Putin, Russian financial institutions, and trade-related measures such as prohibiting the export of controlled items to Russia based on international agreements. We also have implemented measures immigration bans on Russian personals related. At the recent Hiroshima G7 Summit, it was confirmed that the sanctions would continue and be strengthened. In May, Japan announced new additional sanctions; added approximately 140 individuals and more Russian banks subject to asset freezes, and increase the number of Russian military entities subject to export bans to approximately 70 more. In addition, Japan prohibit the export of advanced goods such as quantum computers to Russia.

Let's go back to North Macedonia. Culture is one of the areas in which the two countries co-operate. How interested are Macedonian citizens in Japanese culture?

Many Japanese anime and manga works have been introduced in North Macedonia, especially among young people, and they are gaining popularity. Mr. Murakami Haruki's works have been translated and published in Macedonian. I sometimes hear from people who have read other translations such as English, about their impressions of Murakami's works. At the Japanese Film Festival held every year, 5 to 6 new films are introduced, and many people see them.

There is considerable interest in Japanese traditional martial arts, such as judo, karate, aikido, and kendo. More than 10,000 people practice them in North Macedonia. International competitions of the martial arts in the Western Balkans region are held in Skopje and other cities around the country.

A Japanese pianist performed a joint concert with a Macedonian pianist, attracting a large audience. On the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations next year, stage artists from Japan are scheduled to perform in North Macedonia.

Do you think North Macedonia is attractive land for Japanese tourists?

The number of Japanese tourists to North Macedonia and Europe as a whole declined sharply during the period of restrictions on the COVID-19 infection, but it has returned especially since the beginning of this year.

North Macedonia is still a frontier for tourism for many Japanese, but the beauty of the country, especially the Lake Ohrid, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the surrounding area are famous and highly interested. Skopje is also attractive for its historical architectures, the Vodno Hill and the suburban Matka Valley. Krusevo, which occupies an important place in the history of North Macedonia, is also worth seeing in the old town and the Nikola Martinoski’s Gallery. Ancient Macedonian relics and mosaics in Štip and Heraclea Lyncestis near Bitola, will also please Japanese tourists.

This year marks 60 years since the catastrophic earthquake in Skopje, but also 110 years since the birth of prominent Japanese architect Kenzo Tange, who has made an important contribution to the reconstruction of Skopje. Are you planning any activities to mark the anniversary years?

The city of Skopje is considering the establishment of the laboratory named Tange Kenzo, and plans are being considered for inviting Mr. Tange Noritaka, the son of Mr. Tange Kenzo, to hold a commemorative symposium.

Ana Cvetkovska

Photo: Frosina Naskovikj