The government of Japan has donated US$20 million for health, agriculture and food production programs. Of the moneys, US$8.6 million will be used to build the Centro para la Educacion Médica de Amistad Dominico-Japonesa, an institute for the training of hospital technicians and medical research. Of the total, another US$8.1 million will be used to improve irrigation in a farming area in Jarabacoa, where irrigation channels will be built and rural roads improved. Another US$3.4 million will go to the Programa de Apoyo al Aumento de la Producción de Alimentos, a government program that seeks to increase the production of food in the DR. Japanese Ambassador Masato Akazawa represented Japan at the ceremony in which the donation was officially made to the Dominican government. Participating for the Dominican government were Minister of Foreign Relations Eduardo Latorre, Minister of Public Health Altagracia Guzmán Marcelino and Minister of Agriculture Frank Rodríguez.
