ISLAMABAD: Senate Chairman Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani has said Pakistan placed significant importance to its relationship with Japan and was eager to expand cooperation in areas of mutual benefit.

He expressed these views in a meeting with Japanese Ambassador Wada Mitsuhiro at the Parliament House on Thursday.

Mr Gilani recognised Japan as a key development partner and said both countries enjoyed cordial and friendly relations based on mutual respect and shared objectives of regional development.

During the meeting, crucial aspects of the Pakistan-Japan relationship were discussed with an aim to further explore opportunities for enhanced collaboration.

The meeting underscored Pakistan’s commitment to increasing its partnership with Japan across various domains. The Senate chairman said the current bilateral trade volume stood at $1.27 billion, falling short of its potential. Therefore, both countries are encouraged to work together to boost bilateral trade, he added.

He said Pakistan highly valued Japan International Cooperation Agency’s (Jica) development initiatives, adding that Japan remained a key investment partner. He also requested Tokyo to play an active role in the international effort to address repatriation of Afghan refugees living in Pakistan, urging it to support and contribute to the initiatives aimed at facilitating safe repatriation of refugees.

He said both countries had established various bilateral mechanisms for discussion, and informed the Japanese ambassador that the Senate had established a Pak-Japan Friendship Group which would provide a suitable forum and should be regularly utilised to review and advance the relationship.

The Senate chairman emphasised that regular parliamentary exchanges were deemed crucial for strengthening bilateral relations as such visits enhanced mutual understanding and promoted people-to-people connections. He said encouraging progress had been made in exporting Pakistani manpower to Japan through Memoranda of Cooperation on the Technical Intern Training Programme (TITP) and Specified Skilled Workers (SSW) programmes signed in 2019.

He said 25,000-strong Pakistani diaspora in Japan played a significant role, contributing to sectors such as used automobiles, carpet trade and halal food, adding that this community remained a vital asset to the Japanese economy.

Mr Gilani also appreciated Japan for its support after the devastating floods in Pakistan in 2022.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2024