Saudi- Japan vows to take ties to new heights

(MENAFN- Arab News) The Japanese Embassy in Riyadh held a reception on Tuesday to celebrate the 80th birth anniversary of Emperor Akihito. Riyadh Gov. Prince Khaled bin Bandar, Mohammed bin Sulaiman Al-Jasser, minister of economy and planning, and Abdulrahman Al-Jeraisy, chairman of Jeraisy Group, attended the reception at the Japanese Embassy. Japanese Ambassador Jiro Kodera said: "We have been enjoying cordial relations between the two countries ever since we established diplomatic relations in 1955. We strongly believe that there is ample room for Japan and Saudi Arabia to work together." The Japanese ambassador expressed his well wishes to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Crown Prince Salman and the Saudi people. "We have already been working together for many years in the oil sector. We have begun expanding areas of cooperation in solar energy, renewable energy, saving technology and desalination, among others," Kodera said. He said Japan would like to further diversify the bilateral cooperation to include not only economic, but also political, security, and cultural areas. "We hope to prosper together. This is exactly what we agreed to do when our Prime Minister Abe visited Saudi Arabia this year," the Japanese ambassador said. He added that 2013 was a memorable year for Japan, as Tokyo was chosen as the host city for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympics." Many Saudi government officials and guests from different sectors as well as representatives from diplomatic corps attended the reception held at the ambassador's residence. Every year, the Japanese Embassy serves Japanese cuisine on the occasion, but this year an element of entertainment was added. Mochi, or Japanese rice cakes, were made in front of guests. In addition, Hideto Tsuchiya, a Japanese karate expert, performed at the function. Karate is a well-known Japanese traditional martial art that has become increasingly popular in the Kingdom. Japanese calligrapher Tosen Usuda demonstrated his skills in front of Prince Khaled.