Japanese ambassador to Saudi Arabia Kojiro Takano said yesterday that the planned visit to Japan by Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, will boost relations between the two countries. The visit is scheduled for October 21 to 23, and will allow Saudi and Japanese officials to exchange viewpoints on regional and international issues of common concern, notably security in the Gulf Region and the Middle East peace process. Ambassador Takano said the talks would also cover cooperation in the fields of economy, technology, education, culture, vocational training and protection of environment. The visit, the first by Crown Prince Abdullah to Japan, comes in the context of a world tour that has already taken him to the United Kingdom, France and the United States. During the visit the Crown Prince will meet with Emperor Akihito, Crown Prince Narohito, Prime Minister Keozo Obuchi, and the ministers of foreign affairs, international commerce, industry, and education.

Japan is the Kingdom’s second trade, economic and investment partner after the United States. The Japanese ambassador termed his country's ties with Saudi Arabia as ''excellent'' noting that the two countries have been cooperating specifically in the fields of technology and training, in programs supervised by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Meanwhile, in an interview at the Pakistani Embassy in Riyadh on Saturday, Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan Waseem Sajjad highlighted the significance of Crown Prince Abdullah’s visit to Pakistan next month, saying that it is yet another proof of the growing brotherly and friendly ties between the two Islamic countries. The Crown Prince's talks would cover political, economic, educational, cultural, technological and scientific subjects.

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