Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad arrived in Tokyo on June 10 (Source: nst.com.my) Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamadarrived in Tokyo on June 10, starting a three-day visit to Japan, his firsttour abroad since he took office on May 10.
Within the visit’s framework, Mahathir will attend the International Conferenceon The Future of Asia hosted by Nikkei Shimbun.
He is scheduled to hold talks with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abeon the sidelines of the conference, during which the two leaders are expected tofocus on measures to strengthen bilateral relations.
In a statement, Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry said that the visit of PMMahathir will highlight the country’s policy with Japan and other countries inthe region, especially its policy on foreign investment and trade.
Prior to the visit, Mahathir announced that he will revive the “LookEast” policy, adding that he will further clarify the policy in Japan. Thepolicy, which he applied when he acted as the PM of Malaysia from 1981-2003,played a key role in switching Malaysia from an agricultural country to anindustrialised nation, while creating a breakthrough in partnership betweenMalaysia and Japan.
Many symbolic works and products of Malaysia were made in the period,including the Petronas twin tower and Pronto Saga car. Therefore, analysts heldthat both Japan and Malaysia expect the visit will bring about new developmentopportunities to both sides.
In 2017, Japan became the largest foreign investor in Malaysia with totalinvestment of 13 billion USD.
According to Japanese Ambassador to Malaysia Makio Miyagawa, the returnof Mahathir helps Japanese firms regain confidence in the Malaysian market.
The Japanese side hopes the visit will make bilateral relations thriveagain, including trade and investment ties.-VNA
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