In an interview with The Guardian Sunday, Mr Mitchell said the foreign ministry last week announced the appointment of Mr. Shoichi Yamada as the honorary consul for The Bahamas in Japan. His appointment actually took effect on May 17 but the ministry had been waiting for him to travel to Nassau to be presented with letters of commission.
In his post as honorary consul, the foreign ministry said Mr Yamada would foster friendly relations between the government of The Bahamas and the Japanese government.
He is also expected to develop commercial, economic, cultural and scientific activities between the two countries.
Additionally, Bahamians in Japan needing assistance with immigration and related matters could now for the first time call on an honorary consul.
Mr Mitchell said the two countries had enjoyed a good relationship over the years and that there were little outstanding issues.
“We don’t have many issues with Japan. The major issue we have with Japan was the question of nuclear waste passing through the Caribbean Sea,” he said.
He added that the tanker also entered Bahamian waters, a point he brought up while he was in Japan last year on an official visit. He told the Japanese government that Caribbean leaders did not want the waste to pass through the region.
Japan indicated that it was dependent on nuclear energy for its power supply since the country had no oil. It also reassured The Bahamas that there was a “next to zero” chance that anything would happen to the waste as it traversed these waters.
“But that is an accident that The Bahamas cannot afford, Mr Mitchell said.
Mr Yamada knows a lot about shipping and the risks that come with the industry. He is the executive trustee and chief executive officer of “Freedom Foundation/Dockendale Shipping,” which has registered offices in The Bahamas. He also has vast experience in banking and in international trade.
Minister Mitchell presented Mr Yamada with his letters of commission in a ceremony held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday.
“This would be the time that we have an honorary consul there. We have a non-resident Ambassador who is Sidney Poitier and we’ve now decided to put an honorary consul there,” he said.
Mr Yamada is a part of one of the most important shipping companies on the Bahamian registry and has a good relationship with the Japanese government and the Japanese business community. The Bahamas government is able to maintain foreign relations with countries through honorary consuls, who prove useful in situations where the country is unable to afford a resident Ambassador.
Mr Mitchell said a good example of this was experienced in Paraguay during his trip there last month. The honorary consul to The Bahamas in Paraguay was appointed three years ago under the previous administration.
“And he performed a really yeoman’s job for the recent visit that we made to Paraguay in terms of arranging business contacts,” he said.
“This year, he hosted a reception for the Independence Day of The Bahamas in Paraguay to which there were some 400 guests. So we think this is an example of what honorary consuls ought to do,” he said.
Mindell Small, The Nassau Guardian
