Japan Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko arrive in Singapore

Singapore, June 8 (UNI) Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko today arrived here for a three-day state visit.

The two are visiting the country for the first time as the Emperor and the Empress. They visited Singapore as the Crown Prince and Crown Princess in 1981.

President S R Nathan will host a state banquet for the royal couple, who are also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.

Japan was Singapore's sixth largest trading partner last year, and Singapore's total bilateral trade with Japan stood at over 52 billion Singapore dollars last year.

Japan is also rated as the largest foreign direct investor in Singapore, having helped the island state start up major industrial projects in the 1970s and 1980s.

UNI XC AD ND1710