[Provisional Translation]

On Thursday, July 19, commencing at 5:30 p.m. for approximately 30 minutes, Mr. Yoshihiko Noda, Prime Minister of Japan, held a meeting with the Right Honourable Morgan Tsvangirai, Prime Minister of the Republic of Zimbabwe, who is on a working visit to Japan, at the Prime Minister's Office. An overview of the meeting is as follows:

1. Prime Minister Noda again expressed gratitude for the condolences Japan had received from Zimbabwe after the Great East Japan Earthquake. In light of the progress being made in Zimbabwe's political situation, he expressed his intention to further enhance bilateral relations between Japan and Zimbabwe through the visit of Prime Minister Tsvangirai to Japan. Furthermore, Prime Minister Noda stated that from the economic viewpoint in particular, bilateral relations should be invigorated, and that as one step toward that he would dispatch a joint public-private mission to Zimbabwe in August this year to promote trade and investment, for which he asked for cooperation. In response, Prime Minister Tsvangirai agreed to invigorate bilateral relations, and expressed his expectation for the promotion of investment in Zimbabwe by Japanese companies. Both Prime Ministers shared the view that they would strengthen cooperative relationship in the economic sector in particular. In addition, Prime Minister Noda stated that Japan would begin preparations for the full-fledged resumption of economic cooperation in support of democratization process in Zimbabwe.
   
   
2. The two Prime Ministers also shared the view that they would continue to cooperate towards the success of the Fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V), and exchanged views on democratization process in Zimbabwe and cooperation in the international arena.