The Secretary for Security, Mr Ambrose SK Lee, told senior Japanese Government officials today (May 26) that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government was committed to maintaining the city as one of the safest places to visit and to do business.
    In a meeting in Tokyo with the Japanese Minister of Justice, the Hon Ms Chieko Nohno, Mr Lee said Hong Kong's crime rate had remained at low levels, thanks to the professionalism and dedication of its law enforcement agencies and the support of its citizens.
    "The overall crime rate (total number of crimes per 100,000 population) in the first four months of 2005 fell by 6.3% compared to the corresponding period in 2004," he said.
    Updating his Japanese counterparts on Hong Kong's development since reunification, Mr Lee said Hong Kong was guaranteed a high degree of autonomy under the principle of "One Country, Two Systems".
    He said Hong Kong had remained a free and open society. "We are home to a large foreign community, including about 14,000 Japanese nationals living or working in Hong Kong. We welcome foreign visitors and investors with open arms."
    Mr Lee also took the opportunity to thank the Japanese Government for its decision to grant visa-free access to HKSAR passport holders for visit up to 90 days with effect from April 1, 2004.
    He said the granting of the visa-free treatment signified the confidence of the Japanese Government in the integrity and effectiveness of Hong Kong's immigration control under the "One Country, Two Systems" arrangement.
    "Hong Kong and Japan enjoy close social, cultural and economic ties and the visa-free treatment will certainly enhance and deepen the already strong relations," he said.
    In the first year after the implementation of the visa-free arrangement (i.e. from April 1, 2004 to March 31, 2005), 615,509 HKSAR residents visited Japan, representing a rise of 26.5% from 486,576 in the corresponding period from April 1, 2003 to March 31, 2004.
    Earlier today, Mr Lee called on the Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Hon Keishiro Fukushima, and visited the Tokyo Metropolitan Disaster Prevention Centre.
    Mr Lee will continue his visit in Tokyo tomorrow (May 27) calling on the Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, the Hon Yoshitaka Murata and meeting members of the Japan Hong Kong Parliamentarian League.
    Mr Lee will leave for Seoul, South Korea, on Sunday (May 29). He will call on the Minister of Justice, Mr Kim Seung-kew and the Minister of Government Administration and Home Affairs, Mr Oh Young-kyo.
Ends/Thursday, May 26, 2005
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