Ahead of the upcoming 10th Pacific Island Leaders Meeting, where Japan and New Zealand will reaffirm their commitment to Pacific regional cooperation, the bilateral relationship between these nations is at a pivotal juncture.
Over the years, the partnership has evolved beyond economic ties to encompass shared interests in regional stability, sustainability and innovation. With both countries looking to strengthen their engagement in the Pacific, PALM 10 represents a crucial platform for deepening collaboration on issues ranging from climate change resilience and technological advancement to economic development and security. Since its inception, PALM has largely been viewed as the cornerstone of Japan’s diplomatic efforts toward Pacific island nations.
Japan’s Ambassador to New Zealand H.E. Makoto Osawa recently provided insights into the current state and future potential of relations between the countries. He highlighted existing ties and identified promising areas for growth, particularly in avenues of continued collaboration in technology transfer and innovation, enhanced teamwork in renewable energy and a more robust partnership in the public sector.
Osawa suggested leveraging the existing assets between Japan and New Zealand to strengthen bilateral ties within the Asia-Pacific context. Looking forward, he articulated a vision for greater cultural exchange and deeper cooperation across traditional and emerging areas. He expressed confidence in the future trajectory of the Japan-New Zealand relationship, underscoring the potential for continued growth and mutual benefit in addressing regional and global challenges.
Bridges: Ambassador, how can we deepen cooperation in clean tech, trade or security?
Osawa: We call the relationship between Japan and New Zealand a strategic cooperative partnership, which means we share common values and interests — including democracy, the rule of law, human rights and human dignity — and contribute together to regional and international peace and prosperity.
New Zealand’s economy is complementary with that of Japan. Japan imports NZ’s goods from primary industries, such as dairy and timber. In exchange, NZ imports Japanese industrial goods. More recently, the collaboration (has) extended to (the) renewable energy sector, including hydrogen and geothermal energy.
This relationship is reconfirmed and further strengthened by Prime Minister (Christopher) Luxon’s recent successful visit to Japan.
How can New Zealand and Japan work together to achieve net zero, including via shared expertise?
Japan and New Zealand are already actively collaborating in the renewable energy sector. Japan was the first country that New Zealand signed a memorandum of cooperation on hydrogen with, back in 2018.
Since my arrival in March, I have attended two opening ceremonies of hydrogen stations (Halcyon Power and Hiringa Energy) on the North Island, which Japanese companies (Obayashi and Mitsui) are investing in.
A typical example of technology transfer is the case of Sumitomo and Fuji Electronic. They constructed Contract Energy’s Tauhara geothermal power station this year, which will generate 174 megawatts of electricity (enough to power 200,000 households). This joint project contributes a lot for a greener, more sustainable future of the Asia- Pacific region.
How can New Zealand’s strengths in renewables, agriculture and innovation benefit both countries?
New Zealand has close relationships with the Pacific island countries. There are lots of “PIC people” living in New Zealand, sometimes (in) higher numbers than (in) their original islands. As another island in the Pacific Ocean, Japan also has a keen interest in peace, security and economic development in this region. I am sure we can further collaborate for the development of PICs.
We call the relationship between Japan and New Zealand a strategic cooperative partnership, which means we share common values and interests — including democracy, the rule of law, human rights and human dignity — and contribute together to regional and international peace and prosperity.
Makoto Osawa, Japan’s Ambassador to New Zealand
A typical example is a pilot project of Obayashi Corp. It produces geothermal-derived green hydrogen in New Zealand, with the collaboration of a NZ company and exports it to Fiji. This joint project contributes a lot for a greener, more sustainable future of the Asia-Pacific region.
What’s your vision for the future of the NZ-Japan partnership?
I hope that the governments of Japan and New Zealand, as well as the people of the two countries, will deepen mutual understanding and cooperation in all areas. I think the areas we cooperate in will be extended in the future. We can distinguish three areas: traditional areas of cooperation, such as agriculture, forestry and fisheries; emerging areas such as renewable energies; and new areas such as space industry and (the) digital creation sector.
A good example of a new area of collaboration was exemplified when Prime Minister Luxon was in Japan. Japanese company Syspective signed a deal with Rocket Lab to launch 10 Electron rockets, which is the largest launch agreement for Rocket Lab to date.
I hope that these collaborations will lead to the creation of innovative technology and spread to the rest of the world. I am more than happy to do my best in supporting the development of these collaborations.
