Twenty-one Japanese senior high school students are in the country as part of an exchange programme between Ghana and Japan.
The students, who are accompanied by five teachers, are from the Tosa and Azabu Senior High Schools.
During their nine-day stay in the country, the students will visit the Labone Senior High School in Accra and the St Peter’s Senior High School at Nkwatia, Kwahu.
Ghana-Japan relations
At a reception to welcome the students last Thursday, a Deputy Minister of Education, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said the visit was part of a long-standing programme of exchange which had seen more Ghanaian students visiting Japan.
“Reports received from the Ghanaian students have been good. Now we are also receiving you and I hope you would enjoy your stay in Ghana,” he said, adding that the relationship between Ghana and Japan dated back to Ghana’s post-independence era.
Japanese citizens
Through the relationship, he said Ghana had received Japanese citizens, including medical doctors, researchers and scientists, notably among them is Dr Hideyo Noguchi, a famous Japanese medical researcher who devoted his life to the research of yellow fever in Ghana.
In recognition of his role in gaining insights into the disease in the country, the University of Ghana names its research institute, the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), after him.
Mr Ablakwa also told the students that the current President of Ghana, Mr John Dramani Mahama, worked at the Japanese Embassy in Accra as a communications director, and that “we are very fond of Japan and we are always happy to meet Japanese and to work with them”.
Further interactions
He said he looked forward to having further interactions with the students during their stay in Ghana.
“Ghana is a very beautiful country and I would encourage you to visit many places as possible,” he said, and mentioned places such as Cape Coast, the Elmina Castle and the Kakum National Park as some of the exciting places they could visit.
Some of the students expressed their excitement at being in Ghana, saying it would afford them the opportunity to learn more about Ghanaians and their way of life.
