Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that Pakistan attaches high priority to its relations with Japan and both the countries need to take these relations to further heights as these have been consolidated over the decades. The prime minister expressed these views in a meeting with HE Taro kimura, Special Envoy of Japanese Prime Minister, who called on him at the prime minister’s office on Tuesday. The prime minister emphasized that Japan was a valuable development and trade partner and Pakistan would appreciate further Japanese investments in various sectors in the country especially Japan’s special economic zone. The prime minister said that development and nation building was the top most priority of the newly elected democratic government of Pakistan and Japanese investment, therefore, would be most crucial in this regard. The prime minister said that both the countries needed to take measures to raise the level of their bilateral trade, which stood at US$2.1 billion in 2012. “We need to rectify the trade imbalance which is titled heavily against Pakistan. This can only be achieved if Japan imports more products or increases the quantity of existing importable products from Pakistan. Lowering of tariff rates for Pakistan textiles would also be helpful. We hope the Japanese government would give this idea a favorable consideration”, the prime minister said.