Overview:
Journalists and community members joined the Embassy of Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) Press Tour on Oct. 21, visiting development projects across Palau to learn how Japanese assistance is supporting the country’s development.
By Laurel Marewibuel
KOROR, Palau — Journalists and community participants joined the Embassy of Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) Press Tour on Oct. 21, 2026, visiting several development initiatives across the country focused on health, judicial infrastructure, and public works maintenance.
Media visited the wheelchair lifts at the Judiciary that provide access to persons with disabilities. Photo credit: Laurel Marewibuel
The tour opened in Ngaraard State at a community table-top garden managed by the local government. The garden operates under Peace Winds Japan’s project, “Establishing a Sustainable Health Screening System and Supporting Dietary Improvements for the Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases in the Republic of Palau.” Building on earlier health screening initiatives from 2022 to 2025, the one-year project aims to institutionalize preventive care, expand health screenings, and promote nutrition education through cooking classes, peer support groups, and gardening outreach.
Participants then visited the Judiciary Building in Melekeok State, following the completion of a USD $154,000 renovation project finished in August 2026. Funded via a January 2025 grant agreement between the Embassy of Japan and the Bureau of Public Works, the upgrades added wheelchair lifts at the main entrance and enclosed parking areas to improve accessibility for elderly visitors and individuals with physical disabilities.
The renovation marks the 105th project completed in Palau under Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Projects (GGP) program, which has supported non-profit and municipal community projects since 1999.
The itinerary concluded at the Japan-Palau Friendship Bridge, where Tkakl Mekreos, chief of Road and Bridge Maintenance, provided an overview of a Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) technical cooperation program titled “Establishment of Asset Management System of Roads, Bridges and Heavy Machineries in SIDS.” The program focuses on data-driven planning, regular inspections, technical training, and regional maintenance coordination across Micronesia.
Connecting Koror and Babeldaob, the bridge serves as a major conduit for traffic, utility lines, and communication systems, and will reach its 25th anniversary in January 2027.
The tour ended with a luncheon hosted by Japanese Ambassador to Palau Kenichi Kasahara, attended by representative members of Peace Winds Japan and JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV). The volunteer program, active in Palau since 1997, currently has 26 volunteers serving across education, healthcare, infrastructure, and environmental sectors.
