JAPANESE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTS AND FISHERIES SHOICHI NAKAGAWA AND THE ACCOMPANYING DELEGATION VISITED HERE TODAY THE JEDDAH-BASED SAUDI-JAPANESE AUTOMOBILE HIGHER INSTITUTE. THE INSTITUTE IS ONE OF THE JOINT PROJECTS IMPLEMENTED BY SAUDI ARABIA AND JAPAN FOR TRANSFERENCE OF TECHNOLOGY AND TRAINING YOUTH IN THE FIELD OF MAINTENANCE OF AUTOMOBILES AND THE JAPANESE TECHNOLOGY. THE JAPANESE MINISTER WAS WELCOMED BY THE INSTITUTE'S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SALIM AL-ASMARI AND OTHER OFFICIALS. THE INSTITUTE INCLUDES CLASSES, LABORATORIES, MAINTENANCE WORKSHOPS AND OTHER UTILITIES. SPEAKING ON THE OCCASION, THE JAPANESE MINISTER HIGHLIGHTED THE EXISTING DISTINGUISHED SAUDI-JAPANESE RELATIONS, AND SAID THE TWO COUNTRIES HAVE BEEN COOPERATING IN SEVERAL SPHERES NOTABLY IN TRANSFERENCE OF TECHNOLOGY AND TRAINING. HE NOTED THAT THE NEXT STAGE WILL WITNESS IMPLEMENTATION OF SIMILAR PROJECTS IN VARIOUS DOMAINS. ON HIS PART, SALIM AL-ASMARI SAID THE INSTITUTE IS ONE OF THE FRUITS OF THE HISTORIC VISIT PAID BY THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES, KING ABDULLAH BIN ABDULAZIZ TO JAPAN IN 1998, WHEN HE WAS THE CROWN PRINCE. 'THE INSTITUTE CONSTITUTES A GREAT ACHIEVEMENT IN THE FIELD OF AUTOMOBILE MAINTENANCE AND TECHNOLOGY', HE SAID.
