Bujumbura — Shigeo Huatani, Japan's new Ambassador to Burundi, presented his credentials to President Pierre Nkurunziza on Friday. He will be based at Nairobi in Kenya.

He promised that Japan will help Burundi in various areas, including repatriating former refugees and providing education. The Japanese ambassador also promised to continue pleading for Burundi and invited President Nkurunziza to participate in the Tokyo International Conference on the Development of Africa which is due to take place next year.

Japan has started to rebuild various roads in the capital city of Bujumbura. The government of Japan recently rejected the government of Burundi's request to transport Burundian troops to Darfur in Sudan.