Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe returned to the island early this morning, concluding an official visit to Japan.

The Sri Lanka delegation arrived in the island on board Flight EK-349, which arrived at Katunayake Bandaranaike International Airport at 1.30am.

Wickremesinghe met with the Japanese Emperor, Prime Minister and other high officials in Japan during his trip. He was also given the rare opportunity of addressing the Japanese MPs in a special event.

The Prime Minister also met with the Sri Lankan community in Japan during his trip.

The Prime Ministers of Japan and Sri Lanka agreed to strengthen cooperation on maintaining maritime security in the Indian Ocean during their official talks in Tokyo.

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Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met his Sri Lankan counterpart Ranil Wickremesinghe in Tokyo on Tuesday.

The leaders pledged to cooperate to ensure the safety of sea lanes in the Indian Ocean.

Japan has been apprehensive of China's increasing maritime activities in the region.

The two Prime Ministers also agreed to hold working-level talks by the year-end to discuss maritime security and anti-pollution measures.

Abe said he wants to build on the historic friendship between the two nations to create a comprehensive partnership.

Interestingly, his grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi, was the first Japanese prime minister to visit Sri Lanka after the Second World War.

Abe also pledged Japan's active cooperation for Sri Lanka's nation-building by helping to promote investment and improve infrastructure.

The pledge was made in connection with President Maithripala Sirisena's step to move away from the former government's pro-China diplomacy after he took office in January.

Wickremesinghe welcomed Abe's offer and said his country needs the bilateral partnership to cope with the many challenges it faces.

(With inputs from NHK)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday pledged ¥45 billion in loans to expand Sri Lanka’s Bandaranaike International Airport.

After meeting with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe at his office in Tokyo, Abe said the two leaders agreed to upgrade the bilateral relationship to a comprehensive partnership covering a wide range of areas, including politics, security and economics.

“To support its economy, we will further work together with Sri Lanka in three fields: promoting investment, cooperating on a national development plan, and national reconciliation and peace-building” under the enhanced partnership, Abe said.

The fresh yen loans will go toward expansion of Bandaranaike International Airport in Negombo a suburb north of Colombo.

Wickremesinghe welcomed the new partnership, saying “the discussions and agreement of a comprehensive collaboration brings us a step closer in the relationship between our two countries.”

According to a joint declaration on the bilateral comprehensive partnership, Wickremesinghe noted that the Sri Lankan government will create a more favorable investment environment, urging Japanese firms to invest in the country.

Sri Lanka has been working on national reconciliation and peace-building after the civil war that lasted from 1983 to 2009.

The island nation with a population of some 20.67 million has posted high economic growth after the war, experiencing 7.4 percent growth in GDP last year and 7.2 percent in 2013.

In light of the steady growth in Sri Lanka, the two leaders agreed to hold an economic policy dialogue at the senior official level in the first half of next year to come up with measures to enhance business cooperation, the joint declaration said.

To support national development in Sri Lanka, Abe and Wickremesinghe decided to launch a framework titled the “Consultation on National Development Cooperation.”

Abe praised bilateral efforts on the maritime security front, including port calls by Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels and an ongoing study on Japan providing Sri Lanka with patrol boats.

“As island nations, we know the value of security and peaceful coexistence and the importance that we are guided by international principles as far as the law of the seas are concerned,” Wickremesinghe said.

Wickremesinghe was appointed prime minister in January by President Maithripala Sirisena. After a parliamentary election in August, he was reappointed to the post in a newly formed national unity government.

Wickremesinghe has previously served as prime minister from 1993 to 1994 and 2001 to 2004.

Making his eighth visit to Japan, Wickremesinghe wraps up his five-day stay Wednesday.

(Japan Times)

In a landmark address to the Japanese Parliament, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe urged Japan to support Sri Lanka organize an aid conference on behalf of the country.

Wickremesinghe pointed out that the country was moving towards change and invited the Japanese to invest in Sri Lanka.

The Prime Minister expressed desire to strengthen economic partnership with Japan, based on scientific and technological advancements.

Meanwhile, he also asked Japan to support Sri Lanka in its quest to achieve long lasting reconciliation.

Addressing the Japanese Parliament is a rare honour bestowed on a foreign leader. Only US President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been granted this opportunity before.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who left for Japan on a five-day official visit, will meet Japan PM Shinzo Abe on Tuesday, Japan's Jiji Press said.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga revealed this to the media on Friday.

Abe and Wickremesinghe are expected to discuss maritime cooperation.

Suga told the press conference that Sri Lanka is very important for peace and safety in the Indian Ocean.

Japan wants to deepen its relationship and partnership with the South Asian country, he stressed.

Minister of Science, Technology and Research Susil Premajayantha, who was also the former UPFA General Secretary, is expected join Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in his official visit to Japan later this week.

Wickremesinghe will leave the island on October 3 for a five day visit. Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake and Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera will also accompany the Prime Minister.

The inclusion of Premajayantha is interesting in the backdrop of his staunch support to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa during the August 17 General Election.

The Sri Lankan delegation is expected to meet Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other government officials in Japan.

Sri Lanka needs to carry out a broad plan to minimize sexual tension in society, expand sex education and develop the society through cultural and spiritual development, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said.

The Prime Minister pointed out that sexual assault against children has become a menace and called on all Sri Lankans to unite with the government to carryout initiatives to reduce the sexual tension prevalent in the society.

In addition, steps should be taken to expand sex education and teach the people proper information, Wickremesinghe said. Furthermore, society must be developed both spiritually and culturally, he pointed out.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said that there was no need to postpone the Local Government Election and it will be held in March 2016 as planned.

Speaking this morning at the National Management Conference, he also said that the government was facing the challenge of establishing a fully democratic society.

Wickremesinghe argued that reconciliation could not be established by limiting to judicial and non-judicial mechanisms. It must be established in the background of wider democracy, he added.

The two main political parties have decided to work together to face the challenges, he added. Constitutional reform and other measures will be introduced in the next two years, the Prime Minister said.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is to visit Japan in early October, The Japan Times reported today.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said that the investigations on alleged war crimes should be carried out under a domestic system and not through a mechanism designed by an outside person or entity.

Giving a special statement in Parliament, he said that the mechanism should cover a broad scope, encompassing all parties.

Wickremesinghe gave a basic outline of the events after 2009 which led to the intervention of the UNHRC. However, the international community has developed a favorable opinion following the January 8 Presidential Election, he pointed out.

Judicial and administrative reform are also vital for true reconciliation, Wickremesinghe also said.