Japan is a traditional friend and priority partner of Bulgaria. This is what the President of the National Assembly, Tsveta Karaiancheva, said at a meeting with the President of the House of Councillors, Chuichi Date who had invited her to on an official visit to Japan. At the meeting satisfaction with cooperation in science and technology, sports, as well as the rich educational and cultural exchange was expressed. The general desire to intensify relations with an emphasis on investment and trade has been confirmed. Karayancheva focuses on Bulgaria's aspirations to attract more Japanese tourists, with the country making special efforts in this direction.

Tsvetka Karayancheva also had talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The two were unanimous that Bulgaria and Japan would redouble their efforts to increase bilateral trade as well as the number of tourists and Japanese strategic investments in Bulgaria. According to Karayancheva, Shinzo Abe's Japanese Initiative for Cooperation with the Western Balkans corresponds to the Bulgarian priorities for the Balkan region and creates good conditions for working together on various regional projects. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reaffirmed Japan's commitment to hold a joint workshop on disaster prevention and risk management for the Western Balkans in February 2019 in Bulgaria.