PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe left the country for Japan yesterday on an official working visit the state media says will see Government solidifying its Look East Policy by boosting investment and economic cooperation deals.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe extended the invitation to President Mugabe as the Asian country also seeks to develop new markets for its firms in Zimbabwe.
Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko is Acting President.
President Mugabe, who was accompanied by First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe and Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, was seen off at Harare International Airport by Vice Presidents Emmerson Mnangagwa and Phelekezela Mphoko, service chiefs and Cabinet ministers.
Apart from investment issues, Prime Minister Abe is also pursuing a robust discussion with President Mugabe on the United Nations Security Council reforms.
During his stay in Japan, the President has a packed programme in which he is expected to meet PM Abe, who will also host a dinner for him.
President Mugabe — according to the Japanese Foreign Affairs Ministry — is also expected to make a State call on their Majesties the Emperor of Japan, Akihito and the Empress Michiko.
The couple will also host a court luncheon for the President and the First Lady.
PM Abe has, on several occasions, appealed for Africa’s support to back Japan’s bid for a seat in the UN Security Council.
The Asian giant belongs to the Group of Four (G4), which has Germany, India and Brazil — countries which have mutually supported one another’s bids for permanent seats in the Security Council.
The G4 members have proposed reform in the UN Security Council to include an additional six permanent seats, four going to them and two reserved for African countries.
Only five nations – China, Russia, France, Britain and the United States – have permanent seats and veto powers, which enable them to prevent the adoption of any “substantive” draft Council resolution, regardless of the level of international support for the draft.-State Media