The relationship between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Japan has assumed greater significance ever since the visit in 1999 by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz, who was the Crown Prince at that time. The start of official diplomatic ties between the two countries date back to 1938 when Minister Plenipotentiary at the Saudi embassy in the United Kingdom Hafiz Wahbah represented the Kingdom's delegation to inaugurate a Mosque in Tokyo. In 1939, the Japanese government, then, sent Masayoki Yokoyama, who was Japan's envoy to Egypt to visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He had an audience with the late King Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud in Riyadh. Prince Sultan Bin Abdul-Aziz, the Minister of Defense and Aviation, then was the First Saudi high-ranking official to visit Japan which was followed by an official visit by the late King Faisal in 1971. The Japanese government had shown deeper interest in strengthening further the growing relations between the two countries. Prince Akihito, who was a Crown Prince then and Empress Michiko made a first royal visit to Saudi Arabia in 1981 in addition to the current Crown Prince Naruhito and spouse Masako Owada's official visit in 1994 succeeded by the former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama visit in 1995. In 2003, the former Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro also paid an official visit to the kingdom. --MORE
