Japan plans to spend

millions in Solomons

The Solomons Islands will be seeking about $5 million a year in aid from the Japanese over the next few years, writes George Atkin from Honiara.

This was announced after the visit of a seven -man Japanese economic mission to the Solomon Islands in Febru ary. The mission met govern ment officials and toured various parts of the country during their five-day visit.

The leader of the mission, Mr Hiroshi Ohtaka, deputy director-general of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ economic co-op eration bureau, said, as they were leaving the country, that the visit had been a “great success”.

He said his team was im pressed with the extent of the natural resources of the Solomon Islands and in his view, Solomon Islanders are disciplined and hard-work ing.

Two main impressions that stood out in talks with govern ment officials and others “are the spirit of self-reliance and efficiency”, he said.

The mission, which arrived in the Solomons to plan the Japanese aid programme to the Solomons after indepen dence visited Makira, Auki and Lau Lagoon in Malaita, the North Guadalcanal Plains and Marau on Guadalcanal, the Noro Base, Kolombangara and Munda in the Western District.

The Japanese should be in terested in Noro because it is there that the Solomon Taiyo, a joint fishing venture be tween the Solomons and Japan, has set up its second largest base. Noro is also being made into a larger base to replace Gizo, the second largest town in the country.

And there is timber poten

tial around the Munda area in North New Georgia.

The Solomons Chief Minis ter’s spokesman said that dur ing the visit considerable progress was made in identify ing the possible size and make-up of a programme of Japanese aid to the Solomons after independence.

At the talks, the Solomons Government proposed that Japanese financial and techni cal assistance should go to important projects in agriculture, fisheries, ship ping, telecommunications, health services and develop ing credit financing.

It emphasised the im portance of developing and small-scale projects at the same time, and the need for balanced development be tween economic sectors.

The government indicated a programme of Japanese as sistance at around $5 million a year over the next few years.

The Japanese mission ex pressed interest in all the pro jects put forward and said it is likely that one or two im portant projects could be im plemented very quickly after independence, probably in the training and development of internal Solomon Islands fish eries.

At the same time, detailed studies will be made of other projects, with a view to build ing up to a substantial level of assistance as soon as practica ble.

The statement said that no commitment to a level of aid could be made at this stage, but provided the Solomons is able, after detailed studies, to justify its proposals, the Japanese Government will be glad to consider programmes of assistance to fit the Solomons’ needs.

Both sides agreed on the

need for practical and effec tive projects, with levels of technology appropriate to the Solomon Islands and realistic programmes of expenditure.

The helpful role which suitable Japanese volunteers can play in ensuring the effec tiveness of rural projects was stressed by the Solomons Government.

The two countries will hold further talks before indepen dence both about an overall programme of Japanese aid, and to ensure that a prompt start is made on the first pro jects after independence.

Mr Ohtaka said, “The Japanese Government has not undertaken to make any com mitments as yet but I think that the fisheries project is virtually assured.”

He explained that Japanese Government policy is not to give aid until a country is in dependent bqt once this is achieved “I feel that the Japanese will be ready to make an agreement with the Solomons Government on fisheries.

“Our policy is to begin modestly,” he said.