Turkish deputy PM meets Japanese welfare minister

TOKYO – Anadolu Agency

Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Recep Akdağ on April 5 met Japanese Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Katsunobu Kato in Tokyo.

During the meeting, Akdağ emphasized the importance of cooperation in mutual sharing of experiences in the fields of disaster management and emergency aid.

A five-year action plan of cooperation with Japan on disaster management was on the agenda, while it was pointed out that joint operations could be carried out with third parties in the field.

Akdağ also pointed to one fifth of Japan’s population being over 65 years old and said Turkey could support manpower in Japan by employing skilled Turkish laborers.

Kato, for his part, said he wanted the existing good relations with Turkey to move even further.

The ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) lawmaker Taner Yıldız, Turkey’s Ambassador to Tokyo Hasan Murat Mercan and the head of Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Agency Mehmet Güllüoğlu accompanied Akdağ in the meeting.