LAHORE: Maryam Nawaz is the first Chief Minister of Punjab to be officially invited to Japan, though numerous Pakistani premiers and presidents have visited this “Land of the Rising Sun” during the last 68 years since prime minister Hussain Shaheed Suharwardy’s April 1957 tour, research shows.
Suharwardy was the first Asian leader to set foot in Japan till that time. His visit had opened up the door for Japan to come back to Asia after World War II. Within a month, in May 1957, Japanese prime minister, Nobusuke Kishi, undertook a visit to Pakistan, which was also the first ever visit by a Japanese head of government to Asia after the end of World War II.
Japan was among the first nations to recognise Pakistan's sovereignty on August 17, 1947. However, diplomatic ties between the two nations were officially established in April 1952, and since then the bilateral relations have had their highs and lows. President Ayub Khan had set sails for Japan in December 1960. The invitation was extended by Japanese Emperor Hirohito.
Following Ayub's visit to Japan, prime minister, Hayato Ikeda, landed in Pakistan on November 17, 1961 and offered a loan of 20 million Yen, Japan's first ever financial assistance doled out to Pakistan.
President Ziaul Haq visited Japan between July 17 and 22, 1983. Reciprocating, prime minister Nakasone visited Pakistan on April 30, 1984, the first tour by a Japanese leader in 23 years. His visit clearly indicated that Japan endorsed Pakistan's policy towards Afghanistan.
The-then Pakistani prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, attended the state funeral of Emperor Hirohito in February 1989. Japanese premier of the time, Toshiki Kaifu, visited Pakistan in May 1990.
Premier Nawaz Sharif visited Japan in December 1992, his successor Benazir Bhutto undertook an official visit to Japan in January 1996, General Musharraf toured in March 2002, prime minister Shaukat Aziz visited Japan in August 2005 and president Zardari landed in Tokyo in February 2011 to discuss regional and global issues, besides exploring avenues for cooperation in various fields.
As foreign minister, Bilawal Bhutto, also had an official outing to Japan in July 2023. It is imperative to note that Pakistan remained high on the Japanese Official Development Assistance Programme and received around 18 percent of financial support disbursed during the 1961–71 period.
War in the former East Pakistan, however, created differences between Pakistan and Japan. Japan viewed the crisis in East Pakistan on the basis of Bengali nationalism and endorsed it. Japan consequently closed its Consulate-General in Dhaka and cut-off aid to Pakistan. It recognised Bangladesh within two months, inviting criticism from Pakistan.
Pakistan's Motorway project between Lahore and Islamabad also made Japan unhappy as the project was awarded to a South Korean company, Daewoo in 1991.
In May 1998, after Pakistan had tested its nukes, Japan imposed sanctions. In an effort to consolidate Pakistan-Japan ties, prime minister, Yoshiro Mori, visited Pakistan in August 2000, which was a diplomatic breakthrough in Pak-Japan bilateral relations after the nuclear blasts.
Following the devastating 2022 Pakistani floods, Japan provided $7 million in emergency assistance and sent urgent humanitarian aid to Pakistan including tents and plastic sheets through Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
(Reference: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan) According to the Japanese’s Foreign Ministry, about 20,000 Japanese tourists visited Pakistan between 2007 and 2008 and continue to express an interest in doing so, focusing on Pakistan's Buddhist sites. In 2022, there were 993 Japanese nationals residing in Pakistan, whereas 22,118 Pakistani nationals were living in Japan.