PUTRAJAYA: Japan has pledged to support Malaysia in improving its flood management capabilities by leveraging its expertise and experience in disaster prevention.
This commitment was announced by Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba during a joint press conference with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim here on Friday (Jan 10).
“Malaysia is prone to flooding... so we agreed to cooperate by drawing upon Japan’s knowledge and experience in the field of disaster prevention,” Ishiba said.
He also commended Malaysia’s economic vision under the Madani framework, emphasising the shared priorities of sustainability, innovation and prosperity.
“Especially in the area of economics, Prime Minister Anwar is moving forward with his Madani framework, which emphasises sustainability, innovation and prosperity.
“We agreed that we would strengthen collaboration to provide resilience in supply chains,” Ishiba added.
At the same event, Anwar highlighted ongoing and future collaborations in higher education, including the establishment of a branch campus of Tsukuba University in Malaysia.
He also noted partnerships involving the University Technical Malaysia Malacca (UTeM), Waseda University and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) with the Japan International Institute of Technology (JIIE).
“Higher education collaboration includes the establishment of the Tsukuba University Branch Campus and related engagements with UTeM, Waseda University and UTM through JIIE.
“However, Keio University was missing from this list. It was his (Ishiba’s) university and an important university with which I have had good engagements, so I am now appealing to Prime Minister Ishiba to ensure Keio University participates in some of our programmes, including civilisational dialogues to foster engagement between Islam and Taoism,” Anwar said.
He also expressed gratitude for the significance Japan places on its relationship with Malaysia.
“On behalf of the Malaysian delegation, I express our thanks and appreciation. It is important to note that, other than multilateral engagements, Malaysia is the first country that Prime Minister Ishiba has decided to visit for a bilateral meeting.
“This meeting is one of the most extensive I have experienced, demonstrating how seriously he views Malaysia.
“It covers issues of trade and investments, which are priorities, and aims to elevate our bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership,” Anwar said.
