Saudi king arrives in Tokyo for 4-day visit

TOKYO: Saudi Arabia's King Salman arrived in Tokyo Sunday, making the first visit to Japan by a monarch from the oil-rich nation in nearly five decades, reports AFP.
The 81-year-old king, who was greeted by Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito at Haneda airport, will meet Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday and as he kicks off the Japanese leg of a broader tour of Asia. Salman, who will visit 83-year-old Emperor Akihito on Tuesday, is travelling with a lavish entourage estimated at over 1,000 people.
Some 1,200 rooms at Tokyo's luxury hotels have been booked by the delegation for the three-night stay through Wednesday, according to local media, which has also reported that hundreds of limousines have been brought into the capital to accomodate the visitors.
Saudi Arabia is the largest provider of oil exports for Japan, which relies on Middle East for energy to power the world's third largest economy.
Japan hopes to use the visit to widen its relations with Saudi Arabia and help the country's efforts to diversify its economy, including exploring ways to increase Japanese investments in non-energy sectors such as manufacturing, according to officials.

 

Saudi king arrives in Tokyo for 4-day visit

TOKYO: Saudi Arabias King Salman arrived in Tokyo Sunday, making the first visit to Japan by a monarch from the oil-rich nation in nearly five decades, reports AFP. The 81-year-old king, who was greeted by Japans Crown Prince Naruhito at Haneda airport, will meet Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday and as he kicks off the Japanese leg of a broader tour of Asia. Salman, who will visit 83-year-old Emperor Akihito on Tuesday, is travelling with a lavish entourage estimated at over 1,000 people. Some 1,200 rooms at Tokyos luxury hotels have been booked by the delegation for the three-night stay through Wednesday, according to local media, which has also reported that hundreds of limousines have been brought into the capital to accomodate the visitors. Saudi Arabia is the largest provider of oil exports for Japan, which relies on Middle East for energy to power the worlds third largest economy. Japan hopes to use the visit to widen its relations with Saudi Arabia and help the countrys efforts to diversify its economy, including exploring ways to increase Japanese investments in non-energy sectors such as manufacturing, according to officials.