Dr Mahathir to meet with Abe
TOKYO: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad arrived here yesterday for a three-day working visit, his first overseas trip since Pakatan Harapan’s May 9 victory in the 14th General Election.
Dr Mahathir is accompanied by his wife, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, and Foreign Ministry officials.
The plane they were on landed at Haneda International Airport here at 4.55pm.
On hand to welcome Dr Mahathir at the airport were Malaysian ambassador to Japan Datuk Ahmad Izlan Idris, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Iwao Horii, Japanese ambassador to Malaysia Makio Miyagawa and his wife, Yuko Miyagawa, as well as Chief of Protocol Akira Sugiyama and Shigeki Takizaki, director-general of the Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs Department at Japan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Dr Mahathir is here to attend the 24th International Conference on the Future of Asia (Nikkei Conference) at the invitation of Nikkei Incorporated, where he will deliver a keynote address.
His itinerary included a dinner with Malaysians yesterday, dialogues with Japan’s media and elected representatives, and a courtesy call on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Dr Mahathir is scheduled to have a dialogue with leaders of Japanese business entities, including the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Japan External Trade Organisation, and Japan-Malaysia Economic Association.
At a briefing to Malaysian media on Saturday, Izlan said Dr Mahathir ’s visit would enable Malaysia to highlight its policies towards Japan and other countries in the region, especially those related to foreign investments and trade.
He said Dr Mahathir would share Malaysia’s aspirations and future plans with government representatives, business leaders and academicians from the region. Page 1 pic: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad arriving at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo yesterday.