Bulgarian delegation headed by the President of Bulgarian National Assembly Tsveta Karayancheva is paying an official visit to Tokyo. His Majesty the Emperor of Japan Akihito gave an audience to National Assembly speaker Karayancheva at the royal palace. Tsveta Karayancheva underlined during the audience that the Bulgaria-Japan relations are among the priorities of Bulgaria’s foreign policy due to the strategic partnership between the EU and Japan and Bulgaria’s interest to attract investments and promote technological development. In Tsveta Karayancheva’s words, the rich cultural and academic dialogue strengthens the friendship between the two countries and enhances mutual knowledge of local cultures, customs and traditions. 2019 will be an important year for the Bulgaria-Japan relations, because the two countries will mark the 110 ^th anniversary since the establishment of the first official bilateral contacts between Bulgaria and Japan and 80^th anniversary since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The anniversaries will be marked with a rich cultural programme and exchange of high-level visits. We will be happy to welcome members of the Japanese imperial family to Bulgaria, especially in the light of the forthcoming significant anniversaries, Tsveta Karayancheva pointed out. Tsveta Karayancheva and the Bulgarian delegation will also meet with Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzō Abe within the frameworks of their visit to Japan.