From 8 to 11 October 2018, the United Nations Legal Counsel, Mr. Serpa Soares, visited Tokyo at the invitation of the Government of Japan to participate in the 57th annual session of the Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization (AALCO). The Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat has a long-standing relationship of close cooperation with AALCO and, whenever possible, the Legal Counsel or the Assistant Secretary-General for Legal Affairs participate in the annual session.