On 16 October 2026, Professor Sukehiro Hasegawa, Vice-President of the United Nations Association of Japan and former Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, hosted a luncheon in Tokyo for Her Excellency Maria Terezinha da Silva Viegas, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste to Japan, and Counsellor Celio Moniz.
Professor Eiji Oyamada, Director of the International Center at Doshisha University, and Mr. Tomoki Nonaka, who has entrepreneurial experience in Timor-Leste, also attended the luncheon.
Ambassador Viegas has played a significant role in Timor-Leste’s journey toward independence and nation-building. In 2001, she served as Secretary of the Legislative Committee of the Constituent Assembly, contributing to the establishment of the country’s constitutional foundations. Following the restoration of independence, she served as a Member of Parliament, contributing to the development of Timor-Leste’s national institutions. From 2012 to 2017, she served as Secretary of State for Parliamentary Affairs, and in 2023 she became First Vice-President of the National Parliament.
Drawing on her extensive experience spanning the independence movement, nation-building and parliamentary leadership, Ambassador Viegas was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Japan by President José Ramos-Horta in August 2025. She presented her credentials in Japan in April 2026 and has since been working to further strengthen friendship and cooperation between the two countries.
During the luncheon, participants exchanged views on Timor-Leste’s current political and social situation, the challenges facing its economic development, and prospects for further strengthening bilateral relations between Japan and Timor-Leste.
Particular emphasis was placed on the importance of nurturing the next generation and promoting people-to-people exchanges as a means of deepening relations between the two countries. Participants also discussed opportunities to expand the acceptance of Timorese students at Japanese universities and to strengthen educational and academic cooperation between institutions.
Having formally joined ASEAN as its 11th member in October 2025, Timor-Leste is assuming new responsibilities and a new role in Southeast Asia. Looking ahead, relations between Japan and Timor-Leste are expected to develop further across a broad range of areas, including education, economic cooperation and cultural exchange, building on the two countries’ longstanding development cooperation.
The luncheon provided a valuable opportunity to deepen mutual understanding and explore possibilities for future cooperation between Japan and Timor-Leste.
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H.E. Maria Terezinha da Silva Viegas, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste to Japan (Photo: Embassy of Timor-Leste in Japan)
President José Ramos-Horta and newly appointed Ambassador Maria Terezinha da Silva Viegas, alongside other officials, at the ambassador’s swearing-in ceremony at the Nicolau Lobato Presidential Palace in Dili, 18 August 2025 (Photo: Presidency of the Republic of Timor-Leste)
