President William Ruto had a hectic schedule in Yokohama, Japan, ahead of the official opening of the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) on Tuesday.
Ruto started the day by meeting Japan Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. At the meeting, he said Kenya and Japan have a strong and cordial partnership that goes back 60 years.
“Our trade has grown exponentially in that period, with trade growing by 33 per cent in 2024. However, the trade relationship is heavily in favour of Japan,” said Ruto.
He expressed the need for Japan to deal with tariff and non-tariff barriers so that Kenyan agricultural produce, including avocados and tea, can get more access to the Japanese market.
“Our trade has grown in the past six decades, but it heavily favours Japan at $1 billion against $70 million,” Ruto said.
In response, Prime Minister Ishiba pledged that his administration would look into market access issues raised by President Ruto, while non-tariff barriers would be studied and responded to.
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