Promoting bilateral and multilateral relations between Macedonia and Japan as two friendly countries was the talking point at the meeting between Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and his Japanese counterpart Yoshihiko Noda in Tokyo. This was the first time a Macedonian prime minister paid a visit to Japan since the establishment of the diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1994.  It was stressed at the meeting that there was enormous, untapped potential for further promotion of the cooperation in all areas, especially in the field of commerce.

Two business forums, in Tokyo and Osaka, were organized within the framework of the visit, at which Prime Minister Gruevski presented the advantages and comparative values that the Macedonian economy offers and which may encourage Japanese investors to use Macedonia as a stepping stone for their business in Europe. He illustrated the significance that the Government attributed to the relations with Japan with the decision for opening a Macedonian Embassy in Tokyo by end 2012, expressing at the same interest in reciprocal opening of a Japanese embassy in Skopje in near future.