July 02, 2006	Sunday	Jumadi-ul-Sani 5, 1427

KARACHI, July 1: Japanese Ambassador to Pakistan Seiji Kojima has said his country’s relations with Pakistan are based on shared perceptions on many international issues and both the countries have good relations in various fields which will continue to grow in future.

He was speaking at a dinner hosted by Abdul Kader Jaffer, President of the Pakistan-Japan Business Forum.

Mr Jaffer in his brief remarks said bilateral relations of the two countries had entered into a new phase of friendship and understanding after the visit of Japanese prime minister to Pakistan in April 2005 and a return visit of Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz to Japan.

“We need to develop an image-building programme in Japan so that negative perceptions about Pakistan are corrected,” Mr Jaffer said.

The dinner was attended by Provincial Coordination Minister Salim Saifullah Khan, Sindh Assembly Speaker Muzzafar Hussain Shah and Japanese Consul General in Karachi Shoichi Nakano.