Ghana and Japan yesterday opened a new chapter in their relations with fraternal pledges at a luncheon hosted by President John Evans Atta Mills for the visiting Crown Prince of Japan, Prince Naruhito.

At the luncheon, hosted at the Castle Gardens for the Japanese Royal who is leading a 30-member delegation on a four-day visit to the country, the two countries committed themselves to the strengthening of already existing ties and the opening up of fresh bilateral opportunities.

Responding to a toast proposed by his host, the Crown Prince said his visit to Ghana would herald a new era of exchanges between the two countries and enhance the mutual understanding and friendship between the peoples of both nations.

“The path of friendship between our countries which Dr Noguchi left on this land has been growing steadfastly and firmly by many young people of the late twentieth century. It has become a strong and firm road and will be broadened in the twenty-first century,” he affirmed

Prince Naruhito and his delegation arrived in the country on Sunday to begin the four-day visit. The loaded itinerary of the Prince includes tree-planting and   wreath-laying  at   the   Kwame  Nkrumah  Mausoleum, visits to some educational institutions, meetings with Japanese residents in Ghana and Ghanaians who studied under scholarship in Japanese institutions, among other things.

The Crown Prince noted Ghana’s lead role in the African liberation struggle and said while some countries in Africa successfully achieved their economic growth through their rich underground resources, there were equally many which still faced serious problems such as poverty, diseases and conflicts.

He said since the first Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in 1993, the relations between Japan and Africa had greatly developed over the years, saying, “I hope to make my visit to the Republic of Ghana and Kenya an opportunity to learn more about the continent.”

He said Japan established its Embassy in Ghana in 1959, two years after Ghana’s independence, and had, for over half a century, been working to strengthen those bilateral relations.

“Today, Japan and the Republic of Ghana are connected with strong ties and many Japanese have a strong affinity to Ghana,” he said.

He said, for example, that nearly 80 per cent of Japan’s imported cocoa beans is from Ghana, while Japan had been enjoying the delicious chocolate made from Ghana’s cocoa.

Besides, shea butter, of which Ghana accounted for 10 per cent of the world’s production, had recently attracted attention in Japan as a material for making soap and make-ups.

Prince Naruhito commended Dr Hideyo Noguchi, a Japanese, for devoting his life to research in Ghana but, unfortunately, ending up being a yellow fever victim himself, and further lauded the work of Japanese volunteers in the country.

President Mills, for his part, recalled the bond of friendship between the two countries and described the visit to the country by the Prince as “a great honour for those of us in Ghana and sub-Saharan Africa”.

He commended the Crown Prince for choosing Ghana for his first visit to Africa and further lauded the support provided over the years in education, agriculture, health, among other things, saying, “Your contributions are so many and varied it will take time to recount all.”

Earlier, President Mills had held a closed-door meeting with the visiting Crown Prince at the Castle, Osu.