Above: St Lucia

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Japan and St Lucia have signed a $1 million grant agreement that will help St Lucia in the procurement of industrial equipment and material, its government said in a statement.

The grant was proposed by Japan’s Ambassador to St Lucia, Yoshimasa Tezuka, with a view to “strengthen friendly and cooperative relations between Japan and St Lucia.”

“In Saint Lucia, the grant will be used to import industrial material procured through tenders for post-trough restoration works, while in Japan, the industrial materials will be manufactured by companies which suffered significant damage in the March 2011 earthquake, consequently contributing to the restoration of the Japanese economy,” Tezuka said in a statement.

St Lucia Prime Minister Dr Kenny Anthony called Japan “true friends.”

“Japan has always treated our relations with deep respect and with mutuality,” he said. “In their own way they are an island nation, and therefore, they understand our peculiarities as a small island state.”

The signing ceremony was held on Tuesday at Anthony’s official residence.