RIYADH: King Salman, whose ongoing visit to Japan has rich political and economic connotation for the two countries, will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
On arrival, Japan’s Crown Prince Naruhito and top Japanese officials at Haneda airport greeted the king and his entourage of about 1,000 members.
“King Salman is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday, while the king will attend a lunch banquet hosted by Japanese Emperor Akihito on Tuesday,” said Setsuo Ohmori, charge d’affaires at the Japanese Embassy, here on Sunday. He said that several agreements would be signed during the royal visit.
“Some of them include an accord for implementation of Saudi-Japan Vision 2030, cooperation in the field of trade and investment, agreement in the field of art and culture, industry, health care, science and technology, education and sports,” said Ohmori. He said the Japanese Embassy will release details of the agreements after formal endorsement by both sides.
Ohmori said that an order named “Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of Chrysanthemum” will be conferred on the king. “This is the order of the highest rank and conferred exclusively to the kings and high-profile royalties,” said the diplomat.
Commenting on the visit of the king to Japan, an SPA report quoting Norihiro Okuda termed the visit as “important,” which will enhance bilateral relations between the two countries. Okuda said, “the regional issues in Asia and the Middle East would dominate the agenda of the meetings of the two leaderships, who are keen to achieve international peace and stability.”
He added that an earlier visit to Japan undertaken by Deputy Crown Prince, and Defense Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman was a good opportunity that led to the cementing of relations between the two countries.
The envoy said that the Kingdom remains the key and dependable oil supplier to Japan, while Saudi Arabia will remain one of the key importers of Japanese industrial products. “This is a good proof that the future trade relations between the two countries will be promising and bright,” he added.