Japanese prime minister in Israel on official visit

Japan’s Prime Minister Abe is on his second visit to the Jewish state to bolster ties between the two countries.

By: World Israel News Staff

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe arrived in Israel on Tuesday, his second official visit to the Jewish state.

Abe is accompanied by his wife and a delegation of senior Japanese business leaders.

Upon arriving, the Japanese premier drove to Ramallah to meet with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

Abe is slated to hold a small meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which will be followed by an extended working meeting chaired by the two prime ministers.

After the meeting, the prime ministers will meet with the Japanese delegation led by Abe.

In the evening, Netanyahu and his wife Sara will host Abe and his wife for an intimate dinner at the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem.

Abe’s visit to Israel is part of his regional tour, which included Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. Israel and Japan maintain a good bilateral relationship and cooperate extensively on issues of economy and trade, cyber, science, academia, and health, among others

Japan is reportedly consulting with Israel on its counter-terrorism efforts ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

“The future belongs to those who innovate. Japan has tremendous capabilities in science, engineering and industry. Israel has developed unique capabilities in innovation in every field and I believe that the fact that Japanese companies are coming to Israel expressed this unique partnership which has limitless potential,” Netanyahu told Japan’s foreign minister Taro Kono in Jerusalem in December.

“Japan regards Israel as a country full of talent, not just a state about technology, but humanity, art, and science, and I hope to increase the exchange of people between our two countries,” Kono stated.

Following Netanyahu’s visit to Japan in 2014 and Abe’s previous visit to Israel in 2015, the bilateral relationship has been significantly enhanced in terms of reciprocal trade volume and Japanese companies’ investment in Israeli technology.