Top > What's up around the Prime Minister > May, 2006

Prime Minister Visits Africa and Europe (Ghana) Monday, May 1 to Wednesday, May 3, 2006 JAPANESE Click photographs to enlarge Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi arrived in Accra, Ghana's capital, on the afternoon of May 1 (Japan time: early morning of May 2), who is on a three-nation tour from April 29 to visit Ethiopia, Ghana, and Sweden. On the morning of May 2 (Japan time: night of May 2), Prime Minister Koizumi observed the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) in the national Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. Accra is the place where Hideyo Noguchi, portrayed on the current 1,000 yen bank note, devoted his life to the study of yellow fever. Prime Minister Koizumi offered flowers before the statue of Hideyo Noguchi. In the afternoon (Japan time: early morning of May 3), Prime Minister Koizumi held a meeting with His Excellency Mr. John Agyekum Kufuor, the President of the Republic of Ghana, at the Presidential Palace. Prime Minister Koizumi proposed the creation of the Hideyo Noguchi Award to honor medical researchers in Africa and other relevant persons. President Kufuor expressed his assent to the proposal. After the meeting, Prime Minister Koizumi held talks with Japanese people living in Ghana. In the evening, he was invited to a dinner party hosted by President Kufuor. On the morning of May 3 (Japan time: night of May 3), Prime Minister Koizumi left for Sweden, the next destination of the tour.