Heavy machinery, including trucks, excavators and tractors, were handed over to Waste Authority Limited (WAL) and Tonga Water Board (TWB), from Japan under its Non-project grant aid (NPGA) worth about USD$6 million.

The provision to the Waste Authority includes cargo trucks, crane trucks, an excavator, a compact baler, a waste-tyre pyrolysis machine and others, while the provision to Tonga Water Board includes cargo trucks, an excavator, generators and others.

These donations were handed over by the Ambassador of Japan to Tonga, HE Inagaki Hisao, to the Chairman of the Combined Utility Board, Mr. Tapu Panuve today, 29 November, at Mata-ki-Eua in Tongatapu.

HE Inagaki Hisao said that this year in particular, had highlighted the strength of the relationship between Tonga and Japan.

He noted the second Japan Pacific Islands Defense Dialogue (JPIDD) in which HRH Crown Prince Tupouto’a ‘Ulukalala led the Tongan delegation in March to Tokyo, Japan, and then in July the 10^th Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM 10) held in Japan as well, was attended by the Prime Minister Hon. Hu’akavameiliku.

Panuve thanked the Ambassador for Japan's generous donations, and said, “Your commitments to Tonga’s development areas that are critical to our lives, in sanitation and water, highlights yet again Japan’s enduring commitment to Tonga’s development and prosperity."

Tonga and Japan's bilateral relationship has developed through exchanges between the Imperial Household and the Royal Household over more than 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.