DILI, 19 december 2023 (TATOLI) – Japan’s Prime Minister, Kishida Fumio urged the Japanese company Tsuneishi Shipbuilding to open a shipbuilding industry in Manatuto municipality, Timor-Leste, next year.
“Prime Minister Fumio has ordered our company to open the shipbuilding industry in Timor-Leste in 2024,” said Tsuneishi Shipbuilding president Sachio Okumura during Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão’s visit to Tsuneishi Shipbuilding Industry Center, in Hiroshima, Japan.
Okumura thanked Prime Minister Gusmão for his visit, saying that it meant a lot for the cooperation between the government and the company to open up the shipbuilding industry in Timor-Leste: “I would like to express my deep appreciation to Prime Minister Gusmão for his visit, during which we discussed the plan to open up the shipbuilding industry in Timor-Leste.”
During the meeting, Prime Minister Gusmão and his Japanese counterpart, Kishida Fumio, also discussed the prospect of opening up the shipbuilding industry.
Previously, the Representatives of Tsuneishi Shipbuilding, accompanied by Japan’s Ambassador to Timor, Tetsuya Kimura, presented to the Prime Minister, Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, Tsuneishi Shipbuilding’s plan to carry out a feasibility study for the opening of a shipbuilding industry in Manatuto.
“They have observed several potential sites and found two or three suitable sites to open the shipbuilding industry. They will carry out the feasibility study to identify the best location for the industry,” said Prime Minister Gurmsão after the meeting with the Tsuneishi Shipbuilding representative, in Dili.
Gusmão said that the company’s decision to build the industry will depend on the feasibility study.
Meanwhile, Japanese Ambassador to Timor-Leste Tetsuya Kimura said that the meeting with Prime Minister Gusmão was very important to discuss important steps for the project.
The company required 970 square kilometers of land to build the industry and hoped to produce 10 to 12 ships a year.
The investment plan is expected to create more than 4,000 job opportunities for young local Timorese.
Journalist: Jose Belarmino de Sa
Editor: Filomeno Martins
