Pak Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto to visit Japan to revive bilateral ties

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is set to make his official maiden visit to Japan from July 1 to 4 to revive the bilateral relations after a considerable hiatus.

Pakistan has tried to maintain a fine balance while pursuing ties with its all-weather ally China and its rival Japan.

During the visit, Bilawal will be calling Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and will hold a meeting with the National Security Advisor Takeo Akiba, the Foreign Office said.

“The Foreign Minister's visit signals the revival of leadership level contacts with Japan after a considerable hiatus,” it said in a statement, adding that Bilawal will hold delegation-level talks with his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi.

He will deliver a lecture at the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), which is a renowned think tank in Japan.

Bilawal is also expected to interact with senior officials and executives representing prominent business houses and entities related to the import of Pakistani manpower to Japan.

Pakistan and Japan enjoy a long-standing time-tested relationship characterised by warmth, cordiality and commonality of views on issues.

Tokyo has old ties with Islamabad and supported the country financially. But in the preceding years, Japan’s relationship has grown exponentially with India while Pakistan found greater comfort in the arms of China.

It is believed that Bilawal’s visit to Japan would help to maintain the balance in ties with Beijing and Tokyo.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)