Outline of Japan- Yemen Relationship can be shown as below according to 3 phases of the time. 

1. During the Imam Age
   

   In May, 1938, Prince Hussein, 3rd son of Imam Yahya of Yemen, visited Japan to participate in the opening ceremony of YOYOGI Mosque in Japan, and met His Majesty Emperor of Japan to submit a letter from Imam Yahya to His Majesty Emperor. Prince Hussein stayed in Japan till January 1939, and he did preparatory negotiation upon a trade agreement between Japan and Yemen. 

    

2. During 1960s to 1990
   

   Japan had good relations with North Yemen and South Yemen even before the unification in 1990 through visits of VIPs of Japan and Yemen.  In 1960, His Imperial Highness Crown Price of Japan (now His Majesty Emperor) visited South Yemen.  Japan’s development cooperation with Yemen started in the mid 1970’s and this cooperation is one of the pillars of the bilateral relationship.

   With North Yemen, Japan recognized it in May, 1963 and opened its Embassy in 1976, and Embassy of North Yemen was opened in Tokyo in June, 1981.
   With South Yemen, Japan recognized it in December, 1967, and Embassy of South Yemen in Tokyo was set up in May, 1974 and closed in June, 1982. And Japan opened its Embassy in South Yemen in May, 1977.

   
   
   
3. After 1990
   (a) Diplomatic relations
   After the unification of Yemen in May 23, 1990, Japan swiftly recognized the unified Yemen. And Yemen side did, in 1990, set up Yemen-Japan Friendship Association in Sana’a, and on the other hand, Japan-Yemen Friendship Association was done in December 1996 in Tokyo: On the parliamentarian’ level, Japan-Yemen Parliamentarians’  Friendship Association was established in 1987, and that of Yemeni side was accordingly launched in 2000.
   And after 1990, both of Japan and Yemen have exchanged many VIPs of the two countries in addition to the grass-root communication among the peoples; The years of 1999 and 2005 have witnessed the visits of HE President Mr. Ali Saleh to Japan, which have indeed solidified the bilateral relationships in the fields of economic cooperation, economic and social development, trade/investment, and multilateral cooperation in the UN to name a few.( Joint Press Statement )
   These years have witnessed an increased number of mutual exchange visits, political or cultural, and training courses organized by JICA.  As a result of Yemen’s positive image in Japan, the number of Japanese tourists to Yemen has increased year by year. 
    
   (b) Economic Cooperation is one of the pillars of Japan- Yemen relationship.
   Japan recognizes that Yemen is one of the least developed countries in the region and is in great need of foreign aid to promote economic and social development. Therefore, over the past three decades, Japan has provided grant aid and technical cooperation as well as YEN loans to support these developments.
   Japan is committed, through its economic cooperation based on ODA principles, to support Yemen’s endeavors for nation-building, promoting development, economic reforms and democracy.  This is in line with the DPPR　(Development Plan for Poverty Reduction) and MDGs　(Millennium Development Goals) to which the Yemen Government is committed.

From Japan to Yemen

From Yemen to Japan

Sept 1989 Exchange of Notes to dispatch JOCV (Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers)

Sept 1993 Modification of Exchange of Notes to dispatch JOCV

Nov 1993  Technical Cooperation Agreement

（1）Mr. Masakazu Toshikage, Ambassador of Japan in Yemen
（2）Mr. Marwan Abdulwahab Noman, Ambassador of Yemen in Japan

Yemen is located on the southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, positioned geopolitically at an important cross-point of the Mediterranean, Asia and Africa. Japan depends on 70% of its oil being transported through this region. Therefore, instability in Yemen could have a direct impact on the Japanese economy as well as the stability of the GCC countries.

Among the Arab countries, Yemen shares with Japan the basic common values of democratization and a market-based economy. Yemen can play an important role supporting Japan’s new pillar of diplomacy called “Creating an Arc of Freedom and Prosperity”.  Japan’s ODA will be an effective diplomatic tool, used efficiently for the benefit of Yemen.

1. Japan’s ODA Strategy to Yemen
Japan is ready to cooperate with the Yemen Government to support the many needy sectors.  Japan will be using different schemes to upscale the volume of Japan’s ODA to Yemen

 

2. The focused sectors for ODA
In 2006 it was confirmed, in the high-level meeting for bilateral economic cooperation that the pillars of mutual cooperation are Basic Education/Vocational Training, Rural Water Supply, and Health/Sanitation.
Taking into consideration the new Yemen developments such as the publication of DPPR and PIP, these focus sectors will be reviewed according to future needs.

 

3. The volume of Japanese ODA to Yemen in FY2005
In 2005, Japanese grant aid amounted to 247 million yen (based upon E/N), and the volume of technical cooperation reached 347 million yen (based upon JICA data). The total amount of Japanese ODA until 2005 is, about 60.8 billion yen of the yen loans, 6.4 billion yen of debt cancellation, about 59.057 billion yen of the grant aid, and about 7.626 billion yen of the technical cooperation.

a. Grant Aid
There are several schemes of Japanese Grant Aids such as General Grant Aid for Projects, Non-Project Grant Aid, Grant Aid for Under-privileged farmers, Cultural Grants and small-scaled grassroots and human security grants.
Japan has been endeavoring to make utmost usages of these grant aids, responding to needs and requests of Yemeni side, government or local people.
 Japan has been cooperating with Yemen in the fields of BHN (Basic Human Needs), such as rural water supply, school buildings, health and sanitation(the data: check the attached). In 2006, Japan gave 17 grassroots and human security grants in health, education, environment, sanitation etc, in addition to 2 grassroots cultural grant. 

 

b. Technical Cooperation
One of the successful examples of technical cooperation was the anti-TB cooperation organized by JICA, which ended 2005.
Since 2005 an initiative to Develop Girls’ Education has been operating in six deprived rural districts in the Taiz Governorate.  An expert in the field of Mother/Child Nutrition is  in the Ministry of Health and Population. In 2005 was carried out a development survey of the rural water supply and management of Sana’a basin; this survey will contribute to bettering, by equipment and technical cooperation,  the management of the rural water supply, including Sana’a area.
JOCV (Japan’s Oversea Cooperation Volunteers) have re-started their activities in the fields of Nursery Education, Home Economics, Table Tennis, Judo, Gymnastics and Environment Education in Sana’a.

c. Donors’ Coordination and Harmonization in Yemen
To maximize the support from the different donors, coordination and harmonization meetings with the Yemen Government are organized periodically.

 Donors working in the fields of education, water, health, gender, democratization, and environment meet regularly to coordinate their support. Representatives from the Japanese Embassy in Yemen and the JICA representative office participate in these meetings.

In November 2006 during the Yemen CG meeting in London, the donors including Japan and the GCC pledged up to 4.7 billion USD.  In June, 2007, the first follow-up meeting of the Yemen CG was held in Sana’a, when the total volume of the pledges amounted to about 5 billion USD. The donors and the international organizations of Europe, USA, and GCC scaled up their economic cooperation through grant aid and loans.

Review of Official Development Assistance (ODA) of Japan to Yemen over the last 3 decades (English / Arabic)

Grant Assistance for Grass-roots Human Security Project ( Arabic)

Application Form for Grant Assistance for Grass-roots Human Security Project