Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has approved extension of support to the Jeddah-based Saudi Japanese Automobile Higher Institute (SAJAHI), in future. The current support to the institute which is extended through the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) ends on August 2009. The institute's executive director Salim al-Asmari said the new support to the institute comes within the framework of the existing cooperation between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Japan. During the visit of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz to Japan (when he was the Crown Prince) in 1998 an agreement was signed for the transference of the Japanese technology to the Kingdom in the field of maintenance of cars as well as training the Saudi cadres in this respect. Al-Asmari noted that the mechanism of supporting the institute includes replacement of the equipment, devices, cars and training means with new ones.
