His Majesty Japan’s Emperor Naruhito’s 66th Birthday & National Day of Japan: Message from Akira Terakawa, Chairman of the Japan-Pakistan Business Co-operation Committee

On behalf of the Japan-Pakistan Business Cooperation Committee (JPBCC), I wish to extend my sincere congratulations to His Majesty Emperor Naruhito of Japan on the occasion of his 66th birthday. This auspicious milestone offers a valuable opportunity to reflect on the longstanding friendship between Japan and Pakistan, while also looking ahead to new avenues for bilateral cooperation.

Since its establishment in 1984, the JPBCC has been actively promoting bilateral business ties, trade, investments, and people-to-people interactions between the two countries. In this spirit, we were honored to welcome H.E. Mr. Jam Kamal Khan, Federal Minister for Commerce of Pakistan, and H.E. Mr. Abdul Hameed, Ambassador of Pakistan to Japan, for a business meeting in Tokyo in May 2025. Furthermore, in January, we organized the 10th Japan-Pakistan Private Sector Business Dialogue in Tokyo, attended by H.E. Mr. Rana Ihsaan Afzal Khan, Coordinator to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, H.E. Mr. Abdul Hameed, and Mr. Murtaza Y. Mandviwalla, Chairman of the Pakistan-Japan Business Forum (PJBF). These exchanges allowed for candid discussions on strengthening economic ties and improving Pakistan’s business environment.

In recent years, Pakistan’s economy has faced significant challenges, including high inflation driven by foreign exchange shortages and currency depreciation. The Sharif administration has made notable progress in stabilizing the economy through fiscal austerity measures, while vigorously promoting policies such as fiscal reforms to increase revenue and strengthening tax collection, including the introduction of an agricultural income tax. These efforts have received positive recognition from the IMF, which approved an additional lending program of approximately US$7 billion in 2024, followed by a further loan of around US$1 billion in 2025.

With a population exceeding 240 million, Pakistan is the world’s fifth most populous country. Approximately 60% of its population is under the age of 30, providing a wealth of young, English-speaking talent. This advantage gives Pakistan enormous potential, and has attracted growing interest from Japanese companies. Currently, around 80 Japanese firms operate in Pakistan across sectors such as automobiles, motorcycles, food, and IT.

People-to-people exchanges also continue to grow. Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan started in April 2025 and was held for six months, welcoming over 1.8 million visitors to the Pakistan Pavilion—an impressive and noteworthy achievement. Many Japanese visitors were introduced to the “Universe in a Grain of Salt” theme which represented Pakistan and helped to build greater mutual understanding. We hope this will further raise the number of Japanese visitors to Pakistan.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1952, Japan and Pakistan have maintained strong, friendly ties despite changing political and economic circumstances. Looking ahead, the JPBCC remains committed to contributing to the further strengthening of economic relations between our two countries in order to help maximize the great potential of Pakistan.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026