• Japanese emergency response medical team treating victims of Ditwah
• Ambassador notes recent Head of State visit to Tokyo was well received
• OSA has opened new chapter in Japan-SL defence and security cooperation
• Japan encourages anti-corruption drive, says Isomata

Relations between Sri Lanka and Japan have entered a new chapter in terms of security, defence, and economic cooperation following a recent State visit by the Sri Lankan President to Tokyo, Ambassador of Japan to Sri Lanka Isomata Akio told The Sunday Morning in an exclusive interview held late last month, before Ditwah Cyclone struck the island.

Sharing his views about the visit and the state of bilateral relations between the two nations, Isomata said that Japan remained committed to supporting Sri Lanka and commended Colombo’s anti-corruption drive, pointing out that Japan hoped that the island nation would continue with economic recovery and growth within the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme. 

The recently announced Official Security Assistance (OSA), which has included Sri Lanka, is indicative of Japan’s desire for a closer security relationship with Sri Lanka and the pursuit of the rules-based order approach to a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) policy, which Japan promotes.

The Ambassador pointed out the need for transparency and for Sri Lanka to craft an economic development strategy and industrial policy which is clearly communicated to the world, in order to help investors better understand opportunities in Sri Lanka. 

Japan has proposed the concept of a trilateral export-oriented industrial corridor to help link Sri Lanka to the regional supply chain and to allow Japanese investors to invest in the Sri Lankan manufacturing sector. 

The top Japanese diplomat in Colombo stated that Japan would help Sri Lanka with technical expertise to draft such economic strategies and industrial policies. He added that Japan would continue helping Sri Lanka in many sectors, including maritime law enforcement, and help the island build sovereign capacity on hydrography. 

Following are excerpts:

Recently, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake made a historic visit to Japan and was well received in Tokyo. How do you view this visit and what were the key takeaways for you?

The visit was very successful, both in terms of itinerary and substance. The President started in Osaka, Kansai where we had the Sri Lanka National Day at Expo 2025. We were able to raise the profile of Sri Lanka at the expo. Then the President moved to Tokyo. I accompanied him throughout the visit.  

In Tokyo, there was a summit meeting between our Prime Minister and the President. The President also made a courtesy call on His Majesty the Emperor. There was also a business forum meeting, inviting over 100 Japanese companies that were interested in learning about the prospect of doing business in Sri Lanka. 

There were also courtesy calls made by Japanese Cabinet Ministers – the Japanese Minister of Defence, Minister of Finance – and the President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) met the President as well. All in all, I can say it was a perfect visit for a Head of State. 

In terms of substance, there were several good outcomes from this visit. First, we announced during the visit the provision of security assistance under the OSA scheme. This is a new scheme established by Japan in 2023, providing direct assistance to the military and related agencies of friendly nations. 

Now that Sri Lanka is included in the list of recipients of the OSA, we have decided to provide Yen 500 million worth of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) to the Sri Lanka Navy to enhance its maritime surveillance and disaster response capacity. This provision of the OSA means that Japan-Sri Lanka defence and security cooperation has entered a new stage. 

The second takeaway is that the Japanese side proposed a new concept for the economic development of Sri Lanka. It is called an export-oriented industrial corridor, involving Japan, Sri Lanka, and the southern part of India. It is considered to be trilateral at the beginning, but we can expand it to other countries in the region or globally in the future. 

The idea is, Japanese companies that are interested in investing in Sri Lanka, invest in its manufacturing sector to manufacture goods like parts and components to be exported to India, so that those parts and components can be used to manufacture finished products in India for the markets in India and other countries. 

The plan is to try to integrate Sri Lanka deeply into the regional supply chain. This was the concept launched by the Japanese Government, and we have now begun working on this with the Sri Lankan Government. I also made a presentation about this concept to the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. We have just started discussions and things are still at an early stage, but we will work towards its realisation. 

The third takeaway is the business forum in Tokyo. It invited over 100 Japanese companies and had the presence of the President. It created a good opportunity to attract the attention of Japanese businesses to Sri Lanka, which is on a steady path of economic recovery. All of these and other outcomes are shown in the leaders’ joint statement, the first such statement between the leaders of Japan and Sri Lanka in eight years.

In your opinion, how is the Japan-Sri Lanka bilateral relationship today?

Traditionally, we have had an excellent relationship between the two countries – an excellent and cooperative relationship. It is one of the best friendly bilateral relations Japan has, based on deep trust and respect for each other. Over the years, it has improved significantly. 

Many Japanese know what J.R. Jayewardene, the then Finance Minister of the Ceylonese Government, said during the San Francisco Peace Conference in 1951 after World War II, supporting Japan’s return to the international community while relinquishing Sri Lanka’s war reparations claims against Japan. That was a starting point for a post-war relationship, and since then, Japan has been helping with Sri Lanka’s socio-economic development. 

There is a very strong trust between our two peoples, and the two countries enjoy an ever-evolving relationship. As mentioned earlier, with the President’s recent visit to Japan, our relationship entered a new phase in the field of security and economic cooperation.

Given that you have been in Colombo for over a year, how do you gauge the foreign policy and transparency of the current Government?

With regard to foreign policy, what I have seen in Sri Lanka is that this new administration is handling diplomacy in a very careful way. It is trying to balance relationships with different countries. 

This Government’s approach to diplomacy is, in a way, very flexible and looking to have a very cooperative approach with the international community, including how to deal with the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council. This Government made a very sincere statement at the council a few months ago. 

And even before that, when the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights visited the country, the Sri Lankan Government arranged for him wide-ranging meetings with senior Government officials and other stakeholders, as well as allowed the High Commissioner to visit the north and east and to have interactions with different stakeholders. In that regard, I can say the diplomatic style of this Government is very open. 

As for transparency, what I have seen over the last year is that this Government is very focused on anti-corruption and governance reforms. In that regard, we see visible and tangible results coming from the Government’s policy direction, but it may be a little premature to comment on the overall transparency of this new Government, including other matters, as it has only been in office for a year. I look forward to seeing it ensure transparency as it moves forward, as this is very necessary for Sri Lankan society.

With the change in Government in Japan and a new Prime Minister at the helm in Tokyo, will Sri Lanka-Japan relations change soon? If so, how? 

There will be no change in bilateral relations, even though we have changes in the Government in Japan. Japan places great emphasis on continuity, especially in terms of international relations. Even with administrative changes in Japan, it does not bring changes to bilateral relations. 

In addition, our relationship with Sri Lanka is based on a deep mutual trust, so it would not change. The new Government in Tokyo is also placing great importance on the rules-based order. Our new Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae, our first female Prime Minister, is reinforcing this very important pillar of Japanese diplomacy. So we would like to see closer cooperation with Sri Lanka to advance the Free and Open Indo-Pacific concept guided by the rules-based international order.

The Sri Lankan Government has presented its second budget (2026) and it has been some time since Japan and Sri Lanka exchanged notes on bilateral debt rescheduling. What is your view of Sri Lanka’s trajectory and economic progress?

I was in Parliament when the President made the Budget speech. I noticed several positive statements regarding economic recovery for Sri Lanka. The President said the Government was establishing an expert committee for negotiation of new Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). 

I think FTAs are very much needed, not only for Sri Lanka, but for other countries too. We have to constantly diversify our products and services for export and their destinations. I think this is very encouraging for investors. 

Also, in the Budget proposals, there was talk about an investment protection law to be tabled early next year. This also sends a good message to investors. I hope this new law will pass and that there will be good protection for investors making investments in Sri Lanka. 

Thirdly, there were proposals about promoting manufacturing in Sri Lanka with Government incentives/subsidies, including for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). This is also very much needed for Sri Lanka. It aligns with what Japan is trying to work for with Sri Lanka. 

We would also like to see Sri Lanka stay within the course of the IMF agreement, which will help the country regain investor confidence. And we would like to see Sri Lanka continue its anti-corruption drive, making further progress. 

And beyond that, we would also like to see some kind of economic development strategy as well as an industrial promotion policy, hopefully sector-wise, so that investors, including those from Japan, can see clearly the future opportunities for investment in Sri Lanka. 

In 2028, Sri Lanka will start repaying loans, and I hope, with all these measures effective, things will go smoothly.

You mentioned the need for an economic development strategy. Do you think Sri Lanka needs to have a policy document – a white paper – for such?

Yes, that is what we would like to see. Many countries have such white papers. Japan is trying to assist the Sri Lankan Government in this regard by sending some technical experts, so that we can help Sri Lanka develop its own economic development strategy and industrial policy in the future.

Is Sri Lanka’s reform process satisfactory, or is there a long way to go?

I think Sri Lanka is heading in the right direction. I liked very much what the President said during the launch of Clean Sri Lanka in January this year; he said he would like to restore the deeply eroded and deteriorated social fabric. 

This culture of corruption has been in the country for many years, and Japan was also a victim. We would like to see Sri Lanka change and head in the right direction. It may take some time, but so far it has made good progress under the new Government. I would like to see it continue. 

Japan has recommenced several projects which were put on hold during the island’s crisis period. Now that these projects are ongoing, do you think their progress will lead to future assistance programmes for Sri Lanka?

We recommenced 11 yen loan projects in July last year that had been halted earlier due to the Sri Lankan Government’s default a few years back. For us to be able to continue to provide assistance in the future for new projects of similar or bigger magnitude, we would like to see these resumed projects make good progress. 

Especially signature projects such as Phase 2 of the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) expansion project and the Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting project – we would like to see such projects make steady progress and get completed in the near future.

Other than investor protection laws, which are planned to be introduced next year, are there any specific improvements that you would like to see? 

Yes, we would also like to see improvements in the business environment of Sri Lanka. 

For that purpose, with the cooperation of relevant Government agencies of Sri Lanka, led by the Board of Investment (BOI), we launched the Japan-Sri Lanka Committee on Business Environment in August this year with the participation of Japanese companies operating in Sri Lanka, in order to discuss and address issues that they face on the ground in their daily operations. This committee is being held on a quarterly basis, and I am thankful for the cooperation of the Sri Lankan Government with regard to the committee.

Do you think forging regional and extra-regional FTAs and improving multilateral cooperation on trade and industry will help Sri Lanka’s economic growth to pick up?

I am not well informed about the institutionalised system for negotiating FTAs in Sri Lanka. Generally speaking, having multiple FTAs helps a nation to proceed with developing an export-oriented economy. If Sri Lanka is better equipped with the skills and negotiating systems for FTAs, it will help the country develop such an economy. 

Regarding Japan’s export-oriented corridor concept I mentioned above, it is not a requirement to have India and Sri Lanka upgrade their FTAs. However, if there is going to be an upgraded FTA between the two countries, it will certainly help this export-oriented corridor concept, too.

More Sri Lankans are choosing Japan as a destination for studies, skill development, and employment. Can you explain the current status of employment opportunities in Japan and how it is regulated?

Sri Lankan people working and studying in Japan have been increasing in great numbers over the past several years. Currently, according to Japan’s statistics, we have around 60,000 Sri Lankans studying and working in Japan. But five years ago, it was less than 30,000. Ten years ago, it was around 10,000. So it has grown exponentially these years. 

Because Japan is facing the issue of an ageing society with a declining birth rate, it needs people from other countries for our labour market. There are programmes for training and employment for foreign workers in Japan, like the Technical Intern Training Programme (TITP) and the Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) programme. 

Currently, under these programmes, there are more than 5,600 Sri Lankans enrolled, receiving training or working in Japan. And the number of Sri Lankans joining these programmes is increasing. We have a very good system to control the quality of the labour force from other countries that come to Japan. 

On the Sri Lankan side, the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) is involved in sending workers through accredited agencies. These systems are functioning well. Now, we are opening up more industrial sectors for Sri Lankans. In addition to eight industrial sectors, we most recently opened up an automobile mechanics sector for Sri Lankan skilled workers.

Japan has extended funding to Sri Lanka under the OSA programme to acquire unmanned maritime surveillance systems. Is Japan keen on helping Sri Lanka build capacity to improve ocean governance, law enforcement, and its security services? What kind of other assistance can Japan offer Sri Lanka in this respect?

We have been working with Sri Lanka a lot in this regard. In 2018, we provided two patrol vessels to the Sri Lanka Coast Guard. In 2024, we signed an agreement with the Sri Lankan Government for oil spill management, including the vessels for oil booms, to protect Sri Lankan seas from oil spills. The procurement of these vessels is underway. 

We have also provided mooring buoys and navigation buoys, as well as the Vessel Traffic Management System (VTMS), which is very much in use in Trincomalee. 

One of these four vessels for oil boom deployment is going to be equipped with multi-beam sonar for hydrography, so that Sri Lanka can be equipped with its own independent capacity for hydrography and mapping its ocean. It is very important for Sri Lanka to have its own capacity for this. 

We also support counter-piracy and counter-trafficking activities of Sri Lanka, including capacity building, in cooperation with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). We provided a training facility at the Trincomalee Port for Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) operations, and Sri Lanka Coast Guard and Navy personnel are trained there effectively. I have visited the facility myself and witnessed their training.

Do you think there is room for improvement in the bilateral relationship on maritime affairs?

It is very important for us to see further cooperation between our nations on maritime affairs. Japan is a maritime nation and so is Sri Lanka. We can do a lot together.

On maritime cooperation, Japan has been working with Sri Lanka in the fisheries sector, in addition to the maritime safety and security mentioned above. This is part of our assistance in the blue economy development. For instance, with the grant assistance scheme, we are providing boats for the rescue of distressed fishermen. 

To improve the cold storage capacity for the catching of fish, we are also providing ice-making machines and refrigerator trucks. We have assisted earlier in the development of fishing ports too, like the one in Tangalle. There is also a grant assistance project for environmental protection, including reducing plastic pollution in the sea, for which we signed an agreement in 2023.

Do you think that at some stage there could be a formalised logistics support agreement with Sri Lanka that would benefit both nations, especially as Japan routinely sends Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels to the Indian Ocean region for anti-piracy patrols? Would that be something Japan would be interested in?

We could be interested in the future. At present, we are not having any discussions with the Sri Lankan Government on a possible cooperation document in this area. 

However, we already have a good cooperation framework based on a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) on defence cooperation between the Ministries of Defence of Japan and Sri Lanka. It includes high-level and technical exchanges as well as regular defence policy dialogues, the latter being scheduled to happen next year. On the basis of this cooperation, we can further continue our defence cooperation for now.

With the unprecedented devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka, Japan has stepped forward with immediate post-incident assistance. Can you briefly state what assistance Japan has dispatched to Sri Lanka as of Wednesday (10), and if Japan will help Sri Lanka in post-disaster rebuilding efforts?  

As a disaster-prone nation, Japan understands the great difficulty the people of Sri Lanka are facing now. At the request of the Sri Lankan Government, the Japanese Government immediately sent an assessment team, followed by the dispatch of a Japan Disaster Relief Medical Team to provide much-needed emergency medical services to the local people in the heavily impacted areas. 

The fully-equipped team consists of around 30 professionals, including doctors, nurses, and other disaster response experts, and in consultation with the Ministry of Health of Sri Lanka, has established a field hospital in Chilaw. The team has been providing medical services since 4 December and treating more than 130 patients every day. 

Separately, emergency relief goods, such as tents, blankets, sleeping pads, water purifiers, and jerry cans, have been provided through JICA, and, with the cooperation of the Disaster Management Centre, delivered to the heavily affected areas, including Kandy, Matale, and Badulla. More assistance is on the way. 

As Sri Lanka moves on from the stage of emergency relief to the next phase of rehabilitation and reconstruction, Japan continues to stand in solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka and extend maximum assistance in a seamless manner. 

Editor’s note 

The interview was conducted on 26 November, before Cyclone Ditwah hit Sri Lanka. The comment on the final question regarding Japan’s assistance in relation to the cyclone disaster was sought post-disaster