Following an invitation from the Japanese government, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari arrived in Tokyo today (Saturday) for a four-day visit.

According to the Foreign Office (FO), upon his arrival, he was greeted by Pakistan’s ambassador to Japan, officials from the Japanese foreign ministry, and members of the Pakistani community in Tokyo.

The FO said in a statement before of his travel that the foreign minister’s visit “signals the revival of leadership level contacts with Japan after a significant hiatus.”

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During his visit, Bilawal will meet with his Japanese counterpart, Yoshimasa Hayashi, at the delegation level. In addition, he will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. A meeting with Japanese National Security Adviser Takeo Akiba is also on the agenda.

According to the release, he would also meet with senior officials and executives from important corporate houses and organisations involved in the import of Pakistani labour to Japan.

Furthermore, the foreign minister will speak at the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), a Japanese think institution.

“Pakistan and Japan have a long-standing time-tested relationship marked by warmth, cordiality, and shared views on issues,” the FO stated.

Bilawal’s journey comes four days after Foreign Secretary Dr Asad Majeed Khan met with his Japanese counterpart Shigeo Yamada in Tokyo on Tuesday for Bilat­eral Political Consul­tati­ons.

According to a statement published by the FO following the meeting, all of the Japanese foreign secretary’s interlocutors extended goodwill and warm wishes to the people and government of Pakistan, emphasising that the Japanese side was looking forward to the future visit of FM Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

Japan and Pakistan established diplomatic connections in April 1952, and President Arif Alvi attended the enthronement ceremony of Japanese Emperor Naruhito in Tokyo in October 2019.

Earlier that year, then-foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi visited Japan, and both sides agreed to investigate the prospect of collaboration in human resource development, information technology, tourism, and car industries.

Asif Ali Zardari, the then-president and Bilawal’s father, had previously visited Japan in 2011. The two countries signed the Joint Statement on Japan-Pakistan Comprehensive Partnership during their trip.