by Steve A. Morrell

The Japanese Embassy convened a seminar on ‘Quality Infrastructure’ to commemorate International Cooperation Day.

Japanese Ambassador, Akira Sugiyama, in his opening remarks said under the Official Development Assistance (ODA) program of the government of Japan, infrastructure development to Sri Lanka has continued for 50 years.

In addition, Japan’s entry to the Colombo Plan on October 6, 1954 marked an indelible milestone in economic assistance and cooperation to Sri Lanka over this period.

He said ‘Quality Infrastructure’, including sustainable growth, was the hallmark of development programs initiated by Japan. Such growth included open access, transparency, economic efficiency including life cycle cost and financial viability.

Reverting to the 2019 G20 Osaka Summit, he said emerging donors under Japan’s leadership endorsed G20 principles of quality Infrastructure Investment, which will “guide us a long way into the future as we witness shifts towards the Indo Pacific Region”.

The majority member states covering G20 countries are in the Region covered by the Colombo Plan.

Japan’s economic cooperation with the Sri Lankan government goes back 56 years covering human resources, and the post-war emerging economic cooperation which, to this day chartered an unbroken course of development, that could be aptly described a trend of continuation of mutual friendship between both countries.

Japan’s knowledge-based assistance was continued with no interruption. Around 13,350 persons were exposed to education in Japanese Universities including technical assistance and training in a wide choice of technology that benefited infrastructure development in Sri Lanka.

Chief guest at the ceremony, Central Bank Governor, Professor W. D. Lakshman, in his presentation to the seminar, referred to Sri Lanka and Japan as ‘Distant Neighbours’, a term he coined to describe the long-term development and continuous expansion and infrastructure which is an ongoing phenomenon of economic cooperation.

The ODA program was index to such development, including the onset of television, which was unheard of before 1977; broadcasting development, power, water, the Colombo harbor and additional projects worth many billions of dollars, which were of sustained benefit to Sri Lanka, he noted.

Such benefits also included agriculture improvement and allied technology generating expansion of techniques that percolated to the rural sector, he said.

Although imports from Japan to Sri Lanka were substantial, it was of interest to also note that exports from Sri Lanka to Japan amounted to about US$ 85 million in 2019. The main commodity was tea to Japan. Such exports did not match imports of technology or equipment from Japan to Sri Lanka, but the advantage was that Sri Lanka was exposed to advanced technology made available as a sequel to such imports, Prof. Lakshman outlined.

His presentation also referred to Anagarika Dharmapala’s visit to Japan in the late 19th century, initiating friendship between both countries at the time.

The Governor also referred to the celebrated speech of President J. R. Jayewardene at the San Francisco conference, where he stressed it was important that Japan should be supported by world powers to regain its technology and internal infrastructure to make progress in a world of peace.

Charman Institute of Policy Studies, Prof. H. D. Karunaratne, in his presentation, expanded on the importance of Japan not only to Sri Lanka, but its economic impact on the South East Asian Region was a growing phenomenon of technology and growth.

Senior Lecturer, Department of Economics, University of Colombo, Dr. D. D. P. M. Dunusinghe also spoke.

(Pix by Dharmasena Welipitiya)