Japanese diplomat calls on Amidu

Accra, Aug. 11, GNA - Mr Martin Amidu, Attorney-General and Minister= of Justice, on Thursday urged the Embassy of Japan to cooperate with the Ghana Government to fight narcotics trafficking.

He said it was important to strengthen the capacity of the security services in order to have a better system for combating such crimes. Mr Amidu made the call when the newly appointed First Secretary of the Embassy of Japan in Ghana, Mr Shunsuke Saito, paid a courtesy call on him i= n Accra. He said narcotics trafficking could have a rippling effect on the democracies of the two countries, adding that the Government of Ghana was putting in appropriate measures to stop the narcotics trade. Mr Amidu commended the Government of Japan for its tremendous assistance to the development of the country through the Japan Internationa= l Cooperation Agency (JICA).

He noted, however, that the justice sector had not been the focal poin= t of most of Japan's investments and said the Ministry was looking forward for assistance to enable lawyers to expand their technical expertise. Mr Saito said the courtesy call was to formally introduce himself to the Minister and deepen the bilateral relations between the two countries. He said Japan had always supported the efforts of the government in th= e development of the economy in the agricultural, human resource and infrastructure sectors.

Mr Saito said Japan was ready to complement the commitment of African countries to improve and strengthen the system of justice, adding that the increase in narcotics trafficking was a problem for all.