• Govt. to send a letter expressing commitment to resume negotiations with Japan
• Japan commends progress; ready to resume yen-denominated loans for development 

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa has informed President Ranil Wickremesinghe that Japan is willing to resume yen-denominated loans for development projects in Sri Lanka, including the controversial Light Rail Transit (LRT) project and the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) expansion project, The Sunday Morning learns.

Kamikawa arrived in Sri Lanka yesterday (4) on a one-day official visit. 

During the meeting between President Wickremesinghe and Minister Kamikawa yesterday at the Presidential Secretariat, Japan’s willingness to resume support for development projects in Sri Lanka had been communicated to the Sri Lankan side.

Highly-placed sources told The Sunday Morning that the Japanese side had also asked the Sri Lankan Government to send a letter to the Japanese Government saying that Sri Lanka was committed to opening negotiations with Japan on economic cooperation, which will lead to the exchange of notes. 

It is also learnt that the relevant letter will be sent by the Sri Lankan Government to Japan sometime this coming week.

The controversial LRT project resulted in the souring of relations between Sri Lanka and Japan when former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his Government unilaterally cancelled the project, which was restored by President Wickremesinghe in rebuilding ties with Japan.

Minister Kamikawa had also expressed that Japan was happy that the Sri Lankan Government was looking at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreement being made into law to ensure commitment to complete it.

Sri Lanka and Japan are to also cooperate in the areas of women’s empowerment and gender equality.

Minister Kamikawa also met with Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sabry during her visit.