RIYADH — The Japanese ambassador has expressed a desire to continue developing bilateral relations between his country and the Kingdom at a Japan National Day reception at his Riyadh residence on Tuesday. Jiro Kodera was hosting the reception to celebrate the 80th birthday of the Emperor of Japan, Akihito. Many Saudi government officials and guests from different sectors as well as representatives from diplomatic corps attended the event including Riyadh Emir Prince Khaled Bin Bandar; Muhammad Al-Jasser, minister of economy and planning; and Abdulrahman Bin Ali Al-Jeraisy, chairman of Jeraisy Group Co. Kodera said: “We have been enjoying very 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 the Kingdom to work together for common goals. “We have already been working together for many years in the field of oil and we have started to expand our areas of cooperation to solar energy, renewable energy, saving technology, desalination and so on. “But we would like to further diversify our cooperation to include not only economic areas but also political, security and cultural areas as well. “And by doing so, we hope to live peacefully together and prosper together. “This is exactly what we agreed to do when our prime minister visited the Kingdom this year.” This year was a memorable one for Japan as Tokyo was chosen as the host city for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics. Kodera wished the best of health and prosperity for Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Crown Prince Salman, Second Deputy Premier Prince Muqrin and the Saudi people. Every year the Japanese Embassy serves delicious Japanese cuisine for its National Day celebration but this time there was added entertainment. Mochi or Japanese rice cake was made in front of the guests in a traditional way and served. A Japanese karate expert, Hideto Tsuchiya, impressed guests with his demonstration. Also, Japanese calligrapher Tosen Usuda demonstrated his skills and received a great reception.
