KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail attended a dinner hosted by his Japanese counterpart and his wife in Tokyo last night.
Held at the Japanese state guesthouse for visiting state dignitaries, the event was an opportunity for leaders from the southeast Asean region and Japan to network on the sidelines of Asean-Japan Commemorative Summit.
"After the official meetings yesterday, Azizah and I had time to attend a dinner hosted by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his wife Yuko at Geihinkan, State Guesthouse Akasaka Palace.
"Accompanied by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and Investment , Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, we used the opportunity for the dinner to meet with our counterparts who were also attending the Asean-Japan Commemorative Summit.
"I pray for the relations between the Asean region and Japan will continue to be strong in the future," said Anwar in a Facebook post today.
Yesterday, Anwar and Kishida announced that Malaysia and Japan's ties have been elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnerships.
This was announced via a joint statement before both leaders witnessed the signing and exchange of notes of the official Security Assistance Grant Aid by Japan, which would provide monitoring and
surveillance equipment for Malaysia.
He had also said Malaysia recognises Japan's pivotal role in the development of the Asean region, with consistent progress seen over the last few decades.
Anwar is on a five-day work visit in Tokyo for the Asean-Japan Commemorative Summit.