President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has met with Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzō Abe.

President Solih met with the prime minister during his ongoing official visit to Tokyo, Japan, to attend the Enthronement Ceremony of His Majesty Emperor Naruhito of Japan.

During the meeting held on Monday, the two leaders discussed on how to continue building and strengthening the long-standing relationship between the two nations.

President Solih thanked the Japanese government and its people for providing aid to the Maldives countless times in the past, effectively contributing to the economic development of the Maldives.

President Solih also discussed ways to make applications for a visa in Japan more convenient for Maldivians and ways to promote tourism for both countries by facilitating better air travel between Japan and Maldives, with Prime Minister Shinzō Abe.

In response, Prime Minister Shinzō Abe expressed his gratitude towards President Solih for visiting Japan. Mentioning the importance of partnering with the Maldives for Japan, Prime Minister Shinzō Abe guaranteed that Japan will continue to assist the Maldives in any sector that requires aid in the future as well. He further added that he will work towards making visa applications for Maldivians more convenient.

The two leaders further discussed international matters of national importance to both countries.

President Solih also extended an invitation to PM Abe, to undertake a visit to the Maldives in his convenience.

Japan has been the single largest aid donor to the Maldives, helping the country progress in infrastructural development and virtually all socio-economic spheres: from health to education, to climate-resilience and environmental conservation. Alongside the Maldives’ own national development efforts, Japanese aid was crucial in bolstering the Maldives’ successful graduation from Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to Middle-Income Countries (MICs) status in 2011.

President Solih further offered his condolences to those affected by Typhoon Hagibis that destroyed the Kantō region of Japan last week.