President Solih returns from official visit to Japan

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, on Sunday, concluded his official trip to Japan and arrived back in Maldives.

The visit served to bolster longstanding bilateral relations between the two island nations and was marked as a success.

Notably, the president met Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during the trip and held discussions concerning their respective outlooks on how Japan and Maldives could cooperate better on a bilateral level and on international forums. President Solih also thanked Prime Minister Abe for Japan's contributions to Maldives' development.

Japan has served as the single largest aid donor to the Maldives, aiding progress in infrastructural development and numerous socio-economic spheres including health, education, climate-resilience and environmental conservation. The President's Office highlighted that Japanese aid and investment, mostly funnelled through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), greatly complemented Maldives’ national development efforts and helped the country graduate from Least Development Country (LDC) to a Middle-Income Country (MIC) status in 2011.

In order to relay gratitude to JICA for executing and facilitating most of Japan’s projects, investments and aid in Maldives, President Solih met JICA's president Shinichi Kitaoka. Further avenues for cooperation were also discussed.

A trip to Odawara City, the host for Maldivian athletes participating in the 2020 Summer Olympics, was also included in the President's itinerary. He toured Shiroyama Athletic Field where Maldivian athletes will train prior to the Games and met Odawara's Mayor Kenichi Kato. Additionally, President Solih visited Japan’s Maritime Disaster Prevention Centre (MDPC) where the management and staff shared their expertise in preventing and responding to maritime disasters.

President Solih undertook the state trip at the invitation of the Japanese government. Along with several hundred heads of states and governments as well as visiting dignitaries, President Solih attended the enthronement ceremony of Emperor Naruhito which formalised the new monarch’s ascent to the Chrysanthemum throne.