Cambodia-Japan Steadfast Ties Yield Tangible Fruits for Citizens

Khuon Sudary, President of the National Assembly of Cambodia, emphasized that the steadfast and trusting relationship between Cambodia and Japan has yielded tangible results and benefits for the Cambodian people. This was stated during a meeting with Ueno Atsushi, Ambassador of Japan to Cambodia, who is concluding his diplomatic mission. The meeting, held on Friday, July 3, 2026, at the National Assembly building, saw President Sudary warmly welcome Ambassador Ueno and his colleagues. She highly praised the achievements of the Ambassador's three-year diplomatic mission, noting its significant contributions to enhancing the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries across all sectors, including diplomatic relations, people-to-people exchanges, trade, tourism, humanitarian aid, and culture. President Sudary described Japan as a reliable and sincere friend of Cambodia, highlighting that this year marks the 73rd anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations. She stated that Cambodian citizens hold deep sentiments for the Japanese people, and will always remember the sacrifice of two young Japanese soldiers who lost their lives for peace in Cambodia, one in Kampong Thom province and the other in Banteay Meanchey province, as part of the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) peacekeeping forces in 1993. Japan's support for Cambodia in various fields such as demining, human resources development, agriculture, and trade has materialized and provided concrete benefits to the Cambodian people. For instance, bilateral trade between the two countries reached over 2.6 billion US dollars in 2025. In terms of investment, Japan continues to be a significant investment partner for Cambodia, with a total investment capital of 2.9 billion US dollars from 1994 to 2025. Furthermore, President Sudary expressed gratitude to Japan for providing scholarships to Cambodian students to study in Japan, totaling approximately 17,000 individuals to date. Concurrently, Japan has accepted nearly 70,000 Cambodian workers, enabling them to earn high incomes and acquire technical work knowledge for Cambodia's development. Ambassador Ueno, in turn, expressed his profound gratitude to President Sudary for taking time out of her busy schedule to meet with him and his colleagues. He conveyed his sincere thanks to the President and the entire National Assembly for their strong support and close cooperation, which have led to a successful and gratifying diplomatic mission in Cambodia. The Ambassador expressed pride in President Sudary's leadership, noting that Cambodia has its first female National Assembly President, just as Japan has had its first female Prime Minister. He agreed with President Sudary's remarks regarding the close relationship and mutual trust between the leaders and citizens of both countries. During his three-year tenure in Cambodia, Ambassador Ueno traveled to all provinces and cities, receiving a very warm welcome from the Cambodian people. President Sudary and Ambassador Ueno engaged in close discussions on political, social, and economic matters, with a particular focus on strengthening relations between the parliaments of both countries. Cambodia highly values and supports Japan's "Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)" strategy, which aligns with ASEAN's strategy and the "Pentagon Strategy - Phase 1" of the Cambodian government under the leadership of Prime Minister Hun Manet. President Sudary reiterated the sentiment of Samdech Techo Hun Sen, Acting Head of State and President of the Senate, stating that Cambodia always supports all strategies that promote peace, prosperity, and sustainable development. Regarding inter-parliamentary relations, she noted that the parliaments of both countries have exchanged visits and shared experiences in legislative work. She expressed hope that institutional parliamentary relations will become even stronger and more active during the tenure of the new Japanese Ambassador. In addition, President Sudary requested Japanese support for technology training for the officials of the General Secretariat of the National Assembly, as the parliament is currently undergoing modernization towards becoming a digital parliament. Source: AKP Khmer