PM meets Japan\\\'s Emperor

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had an audience with Japanese Emperor Akihito at Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Monday afternoon and invited him to visit Bangladesh at a convenient time. The Prime Minister extended the invitation to His Majesty and the Empress to visit Bangladesh to see for themselves the progress made by the country since his last visit. Emperor Akihito greeted the Prime Minister on her arrival at the Imperial Palace. After exchange of pleasantries, the Prime Minister recalled the visit of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to Japan in 1973 and His Majesty’s and Empress’s visit to Bangladesh in 1975 when Akihito was the crown prince. Sheikh Hasina also recalled her previous audience with his Majesty when she visited Japan earlier. His Majesty enquired about the progress made by Bangladesh. In response, the Premier highlighted various achievements especially in the socioeconomic areas and in the fields of poverty alleviation. Akihito showed keen interest in the strategies adopted by the government of Sheikh Hasina to deal with poverty. The Prime Minister elaborated the various strategies adopted for food self-sufficiency and mechanisation of agriculture in Bangladesh. She also mentioned her initiatives to provide land to landless farmers, low-interest loans to the landless and help them with free healthcare facilities and create various opportunities for education as means of empowerment of the poor, according to BSS.