Justice Minister Koeut Rith shakes hands with Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Justice of Japan Hiroyuki Kada on July 19. MINISTRY OF JUSTICE
The government is supporting the request of Japanese deputy minister of justice Hiroyuki Kada to hold a special Japan-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Law and Justice in Tokyo in 2023.
Cambodia's support came after two separate meetings between Minister of Interior Sar Kheng, Minister of Justice Koeut Rith and Kada on July 19.
During a meeting with Sar Kheng at the National Assembly on July 19, Kada thanked the government and people of Cambodia for their condolences on the passing of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Kada informed Sar Kheng that Japan's justice ministry is organising the Japan-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Law and Justice scheduled for 2023 and that it would be the first time that ASEAN has had a ministerial meeting with a country outside of the bloc.
"Sharing global values such as the rule of law and human rights is important for the international community, as is legal cooperation, which is also important to promote the sharing of global values. This needs to be shared throughout all of ASEAN, including Cambodia," he stated.
Sar Kheng welcomed Kada and his delegates to Cambodia, saying he hoped that the legal cooperation between the Kingdom and Japan would be further enhanced thereby. He also expressed his condolences over the death of Abe who was very active in the fields of maintaining security and upholding social order.
"For legal and judicial cooperation, Cambodia supports the organisation of the Japan-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Justice and Law. This cooperation is a good opportunity to share experiences with Japan in the areas of justice, prisons and immigration," he said.
Separately, Kada’s meeting with Koeut Rith at the justice ministry on July 19 was aimed at strengthening cooperation between Cambodia and Japan in the fields of law and justice.
According to the ministry’s report on the meeting, Koeut Rith offered his full support for the 2023 Japan-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Justice and Law, which is scheduled to take place in July in the Japanese capital.
The special meeting aims to strengthen and expand cooperation between Japan and ASEAN member countries in the fields of law and justice. The meeting will coincidentally be held at the same time as the celebration of the 70th anniversary of Japan-Cambodia relations and the 50th anniversary of Japan-ASEAN relations, according to the report.
Koeut Rith emphasised that the ongoing cooperation related to the legal and judicial development project between Cambodia and Japan is the longest and most comprehensive cooperation of its kind.
He also thanked the Japanese side for agreeing to Cambodia's request to continue to provide assistance for the sixth Law and Justice Development Project, which focuses on human resource development through system strengthening and training at the Royal Academy for Judicial Professions. They also provided scholarships to officials at the justice ministry to study in Japan as well as scholarships for other law students.
Through Kada, Koeut Rith requested that Japan continue to support Cambodia in capacity building and training of human resources in the field of law and justice, especially the provision of scholarships to students and Cambodian civil servants as the ministry continues strengthening human resources in the field of justice, which is also a pillar and a policy priority for legal and judicial reform in the Kingdom.
