Aziz to Japan in 1998 when he was the Crown Prince marked a new turn in the development of relations between the two countries. During that visit, The Saudi Equestrian Club and the Japanese Equestrian Federation agreed to hold bi-annual horse races alternately in Tokyo and Riyadh. The race in Tokyo is named as "Japan Cup" while the race in Riyadh as "The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz Cup." In May 2005, an additional horse race to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Saudi-Japanese relations was also introduced as a special dedication to celebrate the event.
