KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 5 (Bernama) — Japan is optimistic that its ties with Malaysia will continue to flourish with increasing contacts at the highest level, said Japan’s Ambassador to Malaysia Dr Makio Miyagawa.
He said the exchange of visits by the prime ministers reflected the strong bilateral ties. Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak visited Japan in December 2013 after his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe came to Malaysia in July of the same year.
“We would also like to expand by way of dialogues and consultations at the level of a variety of ministries, not just in trade and economy but a variety of things,” he told Bernama at a reception to celebrate the 81st birthday of Emperor Akihito of Japan at the ambassador’s residence here last night.
Malaysian Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas was the guest of honour at the reception, attended by 400 guests.
In his speech, Miyagawa said reciprocal visits by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah and Emperor Akihito had strengthened the long-established cordial relationship between the royal families of the two countries.
In October 2012, Tuanku Abdul Halim and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Hajah Haminah made a five-day state visit to Japan at the invitation of Emperor Akihito. Emperor Akihito has visited Malaysia thrice, in 1970, 1991 and 2006.
“The long-lasting friendship and the solid bond of our two nations and peoples is a delightful reflection of the gracious ties of sovereign families,” Miyagawa said.
He told Bernama later that Japan proposed to vie for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in 2016.
He said the United Nations would have to invite more developing countries into the UNSC which he said had remained unchanged although the number of UN member states had increased over the years.
One of the major issues that Malaysia would have to likely address when it becomes a non-permanent member of the UNSC on Jan 1, 2015, was the reform of the UNSC, he said.
— BERNAMA
