Monday in Tokyo, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari met with his Japanese counterpart, Yoshimasa Hayashi. Both parties agreed to increase bilateral cooperation in a number of areas, including trade, investment, information technology, and tourism.
Bilawal is currently on a four-day visit to Japan, where he arrived on Saturday at the government’s invitation. Bilawal met with the Pakistani diaspora in Tokyo yesterday, where he emphasized the need for increased bilateral trade between Pakistan and Japan.
After meeting with the Japanese foreign minister, Bilawal stated at a joint press conference, “We have agreed to further deepen and exchange our mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation in the areas of trade, investment, human resource development, information technology, tourism, and agriculture.”
Bilawal stated that both countries had agreed to investigate opportunities for collaborating on targeted programmes in the “domains of solarisation, desalination, and water purification” as well as for rebuilding housing in flood-ravaged areas of Pakistan.
Bilawal stated at the outset of his speech that both countries are “longstanding friends and share a special bond based on deep historical and temporal ties.”
The foreign minister stated that Pakistan placed a high value on its relationship with Japan because both nations had supported each other in times of need.
Bilawal then recalled his encounter with Hayashi in August of last year on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum ministerial meeting. He described today’s conversation with his Japanese counterpart as “very fruitful.”
He stated that both parties had also agreed to “conduct Japanese language proficiency tests in Pakistan to facilitate the movement of skilled labor.”
The foreign minister also thanked the Japanese government and people for their assistance during last year’s devastating floods and the subsequent relief and reconstruction efforts.
During his visit, he intends to interact with the “private sector, local media, and think tanks to further broaden our engagement,” he said. In addition, Bilawal invited Hayashi to visit Pakistan “to further our discussions”
According to the Foreign Office (FO), Bilawal also met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida later on.
The FO stated in a tweet that the foreign minister conveyed greetings from the government and people of Pakistan and that both leaders “expressed a desire to further strengthen engagement and cooperation in various fields.”
