There are roughly 300 Trinidad and Tobago nationals currently residing nearly 9000 miles away in Japan. But despite more than 60 years of relations between the two countries, a local diplomatic mission has yet to be established in Tokyo.

Currently, the country’s closest mission is located in New Delhi, India. The responsibility for establishing a consulate or embassy in Japanese territory falls on Trinidad and Tobago’s government, the Express was told.

As Japanese Foreign Affairs Minister Toshimitsu Motegi visited Port of Spain on Friday, meeting with local Foreign Affairs Minister Sean Sobers, Director General for Press and Public Diplomacy of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Toshihiro Kitamura told the Express that the establishment of a mission had not been discussed between the two. However, he noted, the establishment of such a mission would be helpful in multiple ways.