Islamabad, Dec 23, SPA - Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister Tsuneo Nishida has met Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and appreciated Pakistan's role in the (Asia-Pacific) region, according to an official statement. He conveyed that his government was now increasingly focused on this area within the context of the greater Asia-Pacific region, which he described as place of new dynamism. The Japanese Deputy minister praised Pakistan's economic development and conveyed the commitment of his government to continue to assist in this process. He also conveyed that the economic opportunities in Pakistan would attract greater attention by the Japanese private sector. On his part, Shaukat Aziz said Japan has made valuable contributions over the years towards Pakistan's development and continued Japanese assistance will ensure completion of several projects in the pipeline. He welcomed the close relations between Pakistan and Japan which, he said, covered a wide spectrum including shared views on international issues, mutually beneficial economic and trade relations as well as cooperation in the educational, technical and cultural fields. The prime minister conveyed appreciation for the valuable and timely assistance (of Japan) for earthquake relief.--SPA 11 46 Local Time 08 46 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/313946