His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday started his official visit to the Japanese capital Tokyo, by meeting chairman and members of the Jordanian-Japanese Parliamentary Friendship Committee.

During the meeting, King Abdullah stressed the importance of boosting cooperation between judicial institutions in the two countries, and the exchange of visits to serve bilateral ties between Jordan and Japan, whose diplomatic relations date back 62 years.

The King touched on Jordan's parliamentary elections, which were held last September and have been commended by international observers.

His Majesty also spoke about the pressures facing Jordan due to the Syrian refugee crisis, and commended the support provided by Japan to the Kingdom in various domains that enabled it to address challenges resulting from regional crises.

The King also reviewed Jordan's stance on regional and international crises as well as the Kingdom's efforts with influential powers, including Japan, to find political solutions that guarantee global peace and security.

His Majesty also highlighted the importance of regional and international efforts to counter terrorism and terrorist gangs with a comprehensive strategy to preserve peace and stability in the world.

Head of the Jordanian-Japanese Parliamentary Friendship Committee Kazunari Tanaka praised efforts of the King to bring about peace and stability in the Middle East as well as Jordan's humanitarian role towards the Syrian refugees.

He urged the international community to provide financial and technical support to the Kingdom to enable it to continue humanitarian services to the refugees, mainly in the health, educational, energy and water sectors.

His Majesty also met with President of the Jordan-Japan Friendship Society Mikio Sasaki and discussed with him the society's efforts to enhance economic and cultural cooperation between the two countries.

Discussions during the meeting also dealt with ties of partnership and cooperation between Jordan and Japan that are progressively developing in various fields.

The King expressed appreciation of the support and technical assistance provided by Japan to Jordan's development programmes and plans that contribute to achieving sustainable development in the Kingdom.

The meeting was attended by the director of the King's Office and Jordan's ambassador to Japan.

Earlier, His Royal Highness Prince Faisal Bin Al Hussein was sworn in as Regent in the presence of Cabinet members.