JAPOLAC’s Participation in the “BID for the Americas” Seminar
Dr. Ritter Diaz, the Representative Director of JAPOLAC, recently took part in the “BID for the Americas” seminar, which was organized by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) during the visit to Japan of IDB President, Ilan Goldfajn.
The primary objective of the seminar was to introduce Japanese companies to the bidding and investment opportunities offered by the Inter-American Development Bank in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).
During the event, Dr. Diaz had a brief encounter with Mr. Hideharu Tanaka, the Representative of the IDB Office in Asia. Dr. Diaz conveyed JAPOLAC’s interest in collaborating with the IDB Office in Asia to enhance the presence of Japanese companies in the LAC region.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Diaz and Mr. Tanaka had previously collaborated in 2015 when Dr. Diaz served as the Ambassador of Panama to Japan, and Mr. Tanaka was the Director of Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Together, they were involved in the negotiation process for the Memorandum of Cooperation, which secured financing and construction of Line 3 of the Metro of Panama. The Line 3 consists of a 24.5-kilometers Japanese monorail to connect downtown Panama City to the western region of the country. Currently under construction, it is expected to become operational at the end of 2026.
The Line 3 represents a groundbreaking model of cooperation between Japan and Panama and is designed to serve as a blueprint for future transportation infrastructure projects throughout the Latin America and Caribbean region.
