Brief on Pakistan-Japan Relations

Pakistan’s relations with Japan have historically been very special in character and have remained traditionally friendly and conflict free. These relations are characterized by a shared sense of history and common perceptions on important issues.In the current scenario, Pakistan and Japan share pragmatism in approaches to international and regional situations and their solutions.

Pakistan and Japan established diplomatic relations on 28th April 1952. The mainstay of our relationship has been trade and economic, with Japan being a key development partner and a major investor in Pakistan.

Despite relatively limited bilateral interactions in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the relations between Pakistan and Japan have gained enhanced momentum during the past few years. A number of visits have taken place over years, which are a clear manifestation of mutual desire to enhance already excellent relations.

The President of Pakistan H.E. Dr.Arif Alvi visited Tokyo from 20-24 October, 2019 to attend the Enthronement Ceremony of the Emperor of Japan Naruhito. The visit was highly successful and very productive.

The Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi visited Japan on the invitation of Mr. Taro Kono, Foreign Minister of Japan in April 2019.

Pakistan and Japan have also signed a number of MoUs/Agreements which govern bilateral cooperation in a number of sectors.

Pakistan and Japan have a number of institutional mechanisms in place to consolidate and expand relationship in various fields of bilateral cooperation. These include:

• Bilateral Political Consultations (BPC)
• High-level Economic Policy Dialogue (HLEPD)
• Joint Government-Business Dialogue (JGBD)
• Pakistan-Japan Security Dialogue
• Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Talks
• Consultations on Counter Terrorism

Both friendly countries cooperate at the international forums on a wide range of issues. Both countries have always been supportive of each other's candidacies at such fora.

The bedrock of our relationship has been economic, with Japan being a key development partner, a major investor and a significant export destination for Pakistan. Pakistan and Japan’s economic cooperation and engagement has been picking up in the last few years. Japan considers Pakistan as one of the major destinations for Japanese companies. In this regard, big Japanese corporations such as Marubeni, Mitsui, Sojitz, Morinaga and auto manufacturers like Toyota, Honda and Suzuki have significant investments in Pakistan.

Japan is also one of Pakistan’s key partners in the field of education, scientific and technological cooperation. Regular exchanges and people to people contacts have suffered recently due to Covid-19 related restrictions.

Another major contribution of Pakistan in Japan is the presence of around 19,000 strong Pakistani diaspora. Our community in Japan is among the pioneers in export of used automobiles, carpet trade and Halal food. They remain an important contributor to the Japanese economy.

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