President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih completed his official visit to Japan and returned late Sunday to the capital city of Male.
The president’s office described the visit as highly successful, which it said has strengthened the two island nations’ long-standing friendly relationships.
The President’s schedule during the trip included bilateral conversations with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the best way to advance the two countries’ still excellent ties.
The two leaders shared their separate viewpoints on how the two countries could work further bilaterally and in multilateral forums, according to the president’s office.
Over the years, Japan has been an irreplaceable partner to the Maldives, delivering large amounts of aid and investing in the human resources, infrastructure and environmental stability of the Maldives to be built. The Maldives owes much of their socio-economic progress to Japan, whose benevolence was necessary to help the country attain the milestone of graduating from Least Developed Countries (LDCs) status in 2011, to become a Middle-Income Countries (MICs).
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) was the implementing organization responsible for managing several of Japan’s Maldives programs, contributions, and support. As part of his tour, President Solih met with Shinichi Kitaoka, JICA’s Chairman, to express his appreciation and discuss more opportunities for collaboration between the Maldives and Japan.
His trip’s itinerary also included a visit to Odawara City, the venue of Maldivian athletes at the 2020 Summer Olympics, where he met with the Mayor, Kenichi Kato, and visited the Shiroyama Athletic Field where Maldivian athletes would practice prior to the actual matches. The President also toured the Maritime Disaster Prevention Centre (MDPC) in Japan, where management and staff discussed their experience in maritime disaster prevention and response.
At the request of the Japanese government, the President had flown to Japan. While there, the President attended the enthronement ceremony of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Naruhito, along with several hundred heads of states and nations, as well as visiting dignitaries from around the globe, formalizing the elevation of the new monarch to the Chrysanthemum throne.
