At the invitation of Japan's Ministry of Finance, the Secretary General of the WCO, Kunio Mikuriya, visited Tokyo, Japan from 30 January to 1 February 2013 to meet recently elected political leaders. He also met Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Taro Aso and Senior Vice Minister of Finance Yuko Obuchi.
Considering the important role Customs plays in economic development, security and the protection of citizens, Prime Minister Abe highly appreciated the WCO’s activities, under the leadership of Secretary General Mikuriya, in leading the Customs community. He pledged his full support to the WCO and urged the Organization to continue its excellent contribution to the international community.
Deputy Prime Minister Aso congratulated the WCO on its successful 60th anniversary in 2012 and appreciated the high profile that it had achieved in the past few years. He recognized the crucial role played by Customs in revenue collection and in improving the investment climate in many countries and expressed his full commitment to the continuous provision of human and financial resources to the WCO.
Senior Vice Minister Obuchi commended the partnership approach of the WCO with business, international organizations and regional development banks in assisting Customs to discharge a wide range of responsibilities.
The Secretary General also met other senior officials, including those from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. They all supported the WCO's increased emphasis on coordinated border management to better implement government policies at borders.