Tonga has appointed a woman as the country's first ambassador to Japan.
Tania Tupou has been the King's deputy private secretary since 2009 after working at the Commonwealth Permanent Missions to the United Nations in New York.
Ms Tupou also served as Consul in San Francisco from 1996-2004.
Radio Tonga says the establishment of an embassy in Japan marks a milestone in the long-standing and friendly relationship between the two governments.
