ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Omar Ayub Khan has commended the prodigious efforts of Japanese Ambassador Kuninori Matsuda for strengthening Pakistan-Japan economic relations during his three-year tenure in Pakistan, a statement said.

During a meeting with the Japanese diplomat, who called on him at his office, the minister lauded that during his tenure, Matsuda played a key role in enhancing the bilateral economic cooperation between the two countries.

The proactive role of the Japanese ambassador helped accelerate the implementation of development projects in the field of education, health, water and sanitation, energy and disaster management.

Further, a “Project for Human Resource Development under Japanese Grant Aid (JDS)” was also launched during his tenure in Pakistan.

The JDS is designed to support social and economic development of the country by providing government officials an opportunity to obtain masters and doctoral degrees in Japan to strengthen the administrative capacity of the government officials.

Ambassador Matsuda expressed that there is a huge potential for enhancing bilateral trade and investment between the two countries and exporting skilled human resources to Japan.

He said Japanese companies are keen to invest in Pakistan, especially in the auto sector. He also shared that one of the top Japanese auto companies is expected to make huge investments in Pakistan in the near future for enhancing its production capacity of hybrid vehicles for meeting the needs of the local market, as well as for exporting to other countries.

He also commended the efforts of the government to effectively control polio in Pakistan, as only one case of polio is reported this year.

The ambassador also highlighted the importance of regional integration and connectivity with Central Asia, which would help unleash economic opportunities in the region through enhanced trade, investment and tourism.

The minister thanked the Japanese ambassador for his extraordinary efforts for strengthening bilateral economic cooperation.

Minister Khan also reiterated full support of the government of Pakistan to the potential Japanese investors to facilitate their investment in the country and expressed his best wishes for the ambassador on his future assignments and career progression.

Ambassador Matsuda reaffirmed Japanese support to Pakistan on the issues of mutual interests. Japanese economic assistance has played and would continue to play a vital role in the socioeconomic development of Pakistan, he added.

Both sides reiterated strong commitment towards further expanding bilateral economic cooperation.