H.E. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, the foreign minister of the State of Qatar, made an official working visit to Japan during the period October 1 - 4, 2016, as part of an Asian tour.
At the outset of the visit, he held bilateral talks with H.E. Mr. Fumio Kishida, Minister for Foreign Minister of Japan, during which they discussed ways to strengthen and develop the friendly relations and cooperation and vowed to make efforts to realize the vision of leaderships in the two countries to build a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.
The Qatari side welcomed Japan's decision to grant multiple entry visas (valid for three years) to holders of Qatari passports, starting on October 3rd, 2016, as a big step to contribute in the promotion of exchanges and interactions between the peoples of the two countries. The two sides welcomed the completion of all the procedures in the two countries to bring the mutual visa exemption arrangements, for the holders of diplomatic and special Qatari passports to enter Japan and the holders of diplomatic and official Japanese passports to enter the State of Qatar, into force soon.
The Japanese side praised the role of the State of Qatar as a major supplier of liquefied natural gas and its role as a key player for the regional stability in the Middle East, and expressed its desire to strengthen and develop the bilateral relations in the political, security, economic and cultural fields.
The two sides discussed a number of bilateral issues, including ways to strengthen political and security dialogue and stimulate economic and investment ties and boost cooperation and coordination in the field of education. They also discussed the latest developments in the Middle East, especially the situations in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and the latest developments in East Asia.

H.E. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, the foreign minister of the State of Qatar also met during the visit with H.E. Mr. Toshihiro Nikai, secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, and chairman of the Japan Parliamentary League for Friendship with the State of Qatar, in the presence of a number of parliamentarians and politicians, members of the Parliamentary League. The both sides have discussed the bilateral relations and ways to strengthen and develop the bonds of friendship and activating the joint cooperation between the two countries in all fields.
H.E. Sheikh Mohammed also attended during the visit, a ceremony for exchanging notes between Qatar Friendship Fund (QFF) and Onagawa city, to make a financial contribution worth 10 million U.S. dollars from the fund to support a project to establish a united school (including a three-levels primary intermediate and secondary) in Onagawa, in the framework of the QFF’s projects for the reconstruction of affected areas in the northeastern Japan damaged by the earthquake in 2011. The notes were signed by H.E. Mr. Yousef Mohamed Bilal, Qatar's Ambassador to Japan, and H.E. Mr. Suda Yoshiaki, mayor of Onagawa City.

On the other hand, Japan- Qatar Friendship Association held a reception in the Imperial Hotel, in honor of His Excellency the Foreign Minister and his accompanying delegation, which attended by about 52 business leaders and heads of major Japanese companies operating in the State of Qatar.