ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi would attend the enthronement ceremony of Japanese Emperor Naruhito on Tuesday (Oct 22), the Foreign Office said.

President Alvi will leave for Japan on Sunday (today) on a five-day trip.

The ceremony in Tokyo is being attended by heads of state and government, rulers, and senior officials from around 170 countries. Some of the key participants of the event are Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Indian President Ram Nath Kovind, Jordan’s King Abdullah, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan. Royal families of the United Kingdom, Spain, Norway, Sweden, The Netherlands, Belgium, and Bhutan would also attend the event.

Emperor Naruhito acce­ded to the throne in May after his ageing father Akihito stepped down — the first monarch to abdicate since 1817. Akihito remained on throne for almost 30 years.

The FO said President Alvi would, during his visit, meet the Japanese political leadership and interact with leading businesses that have made investments in Pakistan.

“Pakistan and Japan are long-standing friends and partners. Japan is among the major foreign investors in Pakistan and a significant export destination for Pakistani products,” the FO said.

The FO hoped that the visit would help in strengthening Pak-Japan bilateral relations.

Japan is one of Pakistan’s key economic partners and has over the years supported development projects.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi visited Japan in April this year. Both sides had during the foreign minister’s four day visit agreed on exploring the possibility of cooperation in human resource development, IT, tourism, and automobile sectors.

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2019