The Japanese government is showing commitment to opening an embassy in Malta in the near future, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday. 

“It is really gratifying that discussions are currently underway and the Japanese Government is showing commitment to open a Japanese Embassy in Malta in the near future.”  Foreign Minister Ian Borg was quoted as saying in a ministry statement.

Malta opened an embassy in Tokyo in 2020, with Andre Spiteri as its ambassador. 

Borg is in Tokyo, where he made his comments at a meeting with the Parliamentary Friendship Group. He also had meetings at the Nippon Foundation and the Japan Trade Confederation.

He also visited the Tourism Expo and the Tokyo fish market. 

On Monday he attended the state funeral of slain former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and conveyed condolences to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi as well as the former prime minister's widow, Akie Abe.

The meeting with the Japan Trade Confederation and talks at the fish market focused on the export of Maltese tuna, with the minister insisting that this export success should be mirrored in other sectors and products.

“Malta has much more to offer namely in the service industry, pharmaceuticals, logistics, maritime and aviation. We want to see that the commercial relationship between the two countries continues to grow,”  Borg said.

At the Tourism Expo Borg met the chairman of the Japanese Association for Travel Agencies, Hiroyuki Takahashi. Malta hosts around 25,000 Japanese tourists and 4,000 Japanese English-language students annually.