A group of MPs from Japan paid a courtesy call on the Legislative Assembly Speaker early this week and were in the country as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of Japan-Samoa diplomatic relations.

Samoa's Parliament, in a post on its official Facebook page on Thursday, said the official visit on Monday this week by the parliamentary delegation from Japan was led by Endo Toshiaki of the Liberation Democratic Party of Japan.

Mr. Toshiaki is a senior Japanese politician in the Japan Diet (parliament) and is part of the Liberal Democratic Party which has ruled Japanese politics since the party's establishment in 1955.  The LDP governments of Japan have ruled the country undefeated since 2009 with the party led then by the late prime minister Shinzo Abe.

Leading a high-level parliamentary delegation to visit Samoa, their visit coincided with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Samoa this year. 

Mr. Toshiaki is the Chairman of the Japan-Samoa Parliamentary Friendship Association and has played an influential role in pushing issues in Samoa’s interests. He is the M.P. for the Yamagata Prefecture, which was the host city for Samoa’s athletes during the 2000 Olympics as well as rugby players at the 2019 Rugby World Cup as well as the cultural and sports exchange programmes.

On Monday this week Speaker Papalii Taeu Masipau received the Japanese parliamentary delegation led by Mr. Toshiaki with Papalii acknowledging the Japanese delegation's visit while expressing appreciation for his support for the Japan-Samoa bilateral relations through his close support for and collaboration with the Samoa Embassy in Tokyo.

Papalii also acknowledged and thanked Mr. Endo for being a gracious host of past visits by the Prime Minister to Japan and he expressed hope that this support will continue when the final dates for the next visit by Prime Minister Fiame are confirmed.

The M.P. for the Yamagata Prefecture was also asked for his continued support for cultural and sports exchange in his prefecture post-Covid. Mr. Toshiaki and his delegation departed Samoa for Japan on Monday evening.