CG gives briefing on Japanese assistance to Pakistan

A comprehensive briefing on Japanese assistance to Pakistan, over the years, was given by the Consul General of Japan in Karachi, Masaharu Sato, to senior journalists here on Thursday. The venue was Consul General's residence in Defence Society. Also present at the briefing was the Vice-Consul, Tsuyoshi Hikita.
Masaharu Sato extensively covered the areas of loans, grants and technical assistance given by Japan and particularly mentioned soft loan of 23.3 million Yen (approximately $260 million) extended by the Japanese government to Pakistan on March 31 for the national transmission lines and grid stations strengthening project.
He also referred to the assistance provided by Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA), which is the donor agency of the Government of Japan, responsible for the execution of Japan's Official Development Assistance (ODA) to the governments of developing countries.
JICA with some 10.3 billion dollars of available financial resources is reputedly the world's largest bilateral development organisation working in around 150 countries with its core staff reinforced by several thousand experts & consultants and both young & senior volunteers working on hundreds of projects.
Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan Chihiro Atsumi had expressed the hope that the soft loan of 23.3 million Yen assistance by the Government of Japan is expected to reduce the power loss and improve the power accessibility of the people in the areas. So far, Japan has implemented a total of 17 soft loan projects in the energy sector, out of the 79 soft loans provided to Pakistan. Particular emphasis is being placed on enhancing supply lines and grid stations. To this date, Japan has been steadily delivering its pledge, at approximately USD 452 million including this latest project.
Masaharu Sato also circulated a message from the Chief Representative of JICA Pakistan office, Tomoharu Otake which reads as follows: The Government of Pakistan towards its aim of "Modern and Moderate Muslim state" has been making effort and progress in various measures including the reduction of budget deficit, deregulation and privatisation, the improvement of infrastructure and poverty alleviation through sustained development of Pakistan to benefit country's ordinary majority.
In order to help accomplish this goal, JICA is supporting the Government of Pakistan through development projects in education, health, environment, disaster management, transportation, water supply & sanitation, electric power, industrial development and agriculture & irrigation. The assistance to these sectors is done through technical co-operation, grand aid and ODA loans (concessionary loans).
In the face of many obstinate challenges of socio economic development posing to the people and Government of Pakistan, "we are working for "construction and development of sustainable society". Based on the Japanese ODA charter, JICA is implementing the ODA in Pakistan in an efficient and effective manner, for a better tomorrow for all," Tomoharu Otake said.
In the end Masaharu Sato expressed the hope that political, economic and technical co-operation between Japan and Pakistan would grow further with the passage of time and assured that such briefing would become more frequent in future to help understand each other more closely.