Minister for Foreign Affairs Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is scheduled to make a four-day visit to Japan from July 1-4, at the invitation of the Japanese government, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Friday.

“The Foreign Minister’s visit signals the revival of leadership level contacts with Japan after a considerable hiatus,” the FO said in a statement.

During the visit, the foreign minister will hold delegation-level talks with his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi.

He will also be calling on Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida and hold a meeting with the National Security Advisor of Japan Takeo Akiba.

The foreign minister will deliver a talk at the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), which is a renowned think tank in Japan.

He is also expected to interact with senior officials and executives representing prominent business houses and entities related to the import of Pakistani manpower to Japan.

Pakistan and Japan enjoy a long-standing time-tested relationship characterized by warmth, cordiality, and commonality of views on issues.

It is pertinent to mention here that the foreign minister was earlier scheduled to visit Japan between July 2 and 3. However, the schedule was later revised with mutual understanding between the two countries.