Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape says he is privileged to have met Japanese Prime Minister Hon. Fumio Kishida in Tokyo today (Tuesday, September 27, 2022) before the state funeral of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. PM Marape, one of many world leaders attending Abe’s funeral, had a bilateral meeting with PM Kishida at Akasaka Palace this morning. He was accompanied by International Trade and Investment Minister Hon. Richard Maru, East Sepik Governor Hon. Allan Bird and Papua New Guinea Ambassador to Japan H.E. Samuel Abal The Prime Minister, who is in Tokyo for a day before leaving for Washington DC to attend the Pacific Islands’ Summit, also met with executives of three top energy companies – Sojitz, JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration Corporation and LNG Japan Corporation. He also met Japan Development Institute (JDI) CEO and Chairman Dr Shoichi Kobayashi to progress the special economic zone (SEZ) concept in PNG. “Today was just a short, one-day visit to Japan for me,