Manama: King Hamad Bin Eisa Al khalifa is set to become the first Bahraini ruler to make an official visit to Japan this week.
The visit from April 11 to13 is at the invitation of Japan's Emperor Akihito, according to Bahrain's royal court.
In October 1991, the late Shaikh Eisa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, King Hamad's father, traveled to Japan, but he was on a private visit.
"The King will explore ways of promoting bilateral relations with Japan's Emperor, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and a number of Japanese officials," the court said in a statement. "The visit will also have a positive impact on strengthening bilateral ties and cooperation in the industrial, economic, trade, educational and communication areas."
King Hamad will also discuss issues of mutual interest and will review the latest developments in the region.
In an interview with Japanese media, King Hamad hailed the 40 years of diplomatic cooperation between Bahrain and Japan and said that the visit would be "a great opportunity to build upon the productive cooperation between Bahrain and Japan."
Relations between Manama and Tokyo started in 1934 with the dispatch of the first Bahraini oil shipment to Japan, two years after the discovery of oil in Bahrain.
The two countries established diplomatic relations in May 1972. Tokyo opened an embassy in Manama in January 1988 while Bahrain opened its diplomatic mission in Japan in September 2005.
Japan has various companies in Bahrain operating in the manufacturing, financial and trading sectors.
