Outgoing Slovakian Ambassador Miroslav Lajcak said Thursday that political, economic and cultural relations between his country and Japan have grown remarkably during his four years in Japan.

Slovakian exports to Japan -- ranging from food products, hops and milk powder to chemical products, textiles and crystal glass -- have tripled while Japanese exports to the Slovak Republic have quadrupled, he said. Japanese tourists visiting Slovakia have also roughly quadrupled, reflecting growing personnel exchanges at all levels, Lajcak told The Japan Times on the eve of his departure from Tokyo. Lajcak is returning to his home ministry.

The two countries have common interests in many ways, and Slovakia supports Japan's bid for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council, Lajcak explained. Several Japanese companies now have plants in Slovakia, producing electronics and other components. For example, Sony and Matsushita Electric Industrial are producing TV parts, while Yazaki Corp. is supplying electrical wiring, auto parts and other items, he said.

Conveniently located in Central Europe, Slovakia has a good infrastructure, including low-cost transportation utilizing the Danube River, and foreign investors locating plants in the country will find its skilled and low-cost labor highly productive, Lajcak said.