TOKYO:  Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida expressed his intention to cooperate with Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of Bahrain, in fostering a closer bilateral relationship, the foreign ministry in Tokyo said.

During a a telephone talk on April 5, Al Khalifa expressed his renewed hopes for strengthening the bilateral relationship, and expressed his appreciation for Japan’s cooperation in the launching of the Bahrain-UAE joint nanosatellite “Light-1” from the Japanese Experiment Module “Kibo” on the International Space Station.

Both leaders pledged to boost cooperation in various fields, in both the public and private sector, through signing the agreement between Japan and the Kingdom of Bahrain for “the Reciprocal Promotion and Protection of Investment” at an early timing, especially as this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment their diplomatic relations.

During the talks, the leaders also exchanged views on the situation in Ukraine and how to shape the framework of the international order going forward, including the United Nations Security Council, and confirmed that Japan and Bahrain will continue to closely coordinate their response to the situation.

In addition, both sides confirmed that Japan and Bahrain will cooperate towards the stabilization of the international oil market.

This story was originally published in Japanese on Arab News Japan