Rare Diplomatic Visit: Afghan Taliban Government Delegation Makes First Trip to Japan | WPN World People News

On Monday, February 17, a delegation from the Afghan Taliban government made its first visit to Japan. The Taliban government regularly visits neighboring countries and regional states, including Central Asia, Russia, and China. However, it has only officially visited Europe in 2022 and 2023 to participate in a diplomatic summit held in Norway. This marks one of their rare diplomatic visits outside the region.

The Afghan delegation departed from Kabul on February 15 for a week-long visit to Japan. The delegation includes officials from the ministries of higher education, foreign affairs, and economic affairs. On February 15, Deputy Minister of Economy Latif Nazari stated on X, "We seek dignified engagement with the world to achieve a strong, united, advanced, prosperous, and developed Afghanistan and to become an active member of the international community."

After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021, the Japanese Embassy in Kabul temporarily relocated to Qatar. However, Japan has since reopened its embassy and resumed diplomatic and humanitarian activities in the country. According to NHK, citing anonymous Afghan diplomatic sources, the delegation plans to "exchange views with Japanese government officials during the visit."