The Embassy of Japan in Islamabad hosted a ceremony to mark the 71st anniversary of the Japan Self Defence, with Ambassador Akamatsu Shoichi serving as host and Federal Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif attending as the guest of honour. The event brought together senior government officials, diplomats and business leaders to underscore bilateral relations and defence collaboration between Japan and Pakistan.
Among those present were Investment Board adviser Syed Feroz Shah, Honorary Consul General Syed Nadeem Alam Shah and his wife Khadija Nadeem, former federal minister Khurram Dastgir Khan, Minister of State for Religious Affairs Khel Das Kohistani and Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik. Japan’s defence attaché Colonel Abe Kazuo represented the Japan Self Defence at the event. The programme opened with both countries’ national anthems, followed by a ceremonial cake cutting and the presentation of bouquets to the ambassador and his wife.
Syed Feroz Shah, Syed Nadeem Alam Shah and Khadija Nadeem personally congratulated the ambassador and welcomed the delegation. Ambassador Akamatsu praised the trajectory of Japan Pakistan ties and said that under the leadership of Japan’s first woman prime minister Sanae Takaichi, relations founded on mutual respect and cooperation are expected to strengthen further.
The ambassador highlighted recent defence engagements, noting that the Japanese Maritime Self Defence ship Murasame participated in the multinational exercise AMAN 25 with the Pakistan Navy this year. He also recalled the visit of National Defence University officers to Japan in May and confirmed that the next round of defence consultations between the two countries is scheduled for December to deepen defence cooperation. Marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, the ambassador reiterated Japan’s commitment to nuclear disarmament and expressed Japan’s desire for a world free of nuclear weapons.
Speakers at the ceremony praised Japan’s rapid postwar development as a model of economic, technological and social advancement that also upholds human values. A group photograph was taken with Syed Feroz Shah, Honorary Consul General Syed Nadeem Alam Shah and his wife Khadija Nadeem standing alongside Ambassador Akamatsu Shoichi to commemorate the Japan Self Defence anniversary in Islamabad.
