Japan on Wednesday pledged to provide a passenger-cargo ship to Samoa to help the Pacific island nation improve its transportation as part of Tokyo's initiative to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific.Under an agreement reached during Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Sailele Malielegaoi's visit to Japan, Tokyo will provide 2.5 billion yen ($23 million) in grant aid to build the ship.The visit coincided with the Rugby World Cup being held in Japan. Japan is set to play Samoa on Saturday."Enhancing connectivity at sea is a priority area for Japan," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said at a…READ FULL ARTICLE
