Abu Dhabi: The Japanese community held its National Day Reception on Monday and celebrated the strong relations between Japan and the UAE.
Kanji Fujiki, Ambassador of Japan to the UAE, and his wife hosted the National Day Reception in celebration of the birthday of Emperor Akihito, the 125th Emperor of Japan.
The constitution of Japan stipulates that the Emperor is the symbol of Japan and the unity of the Japanese people. The Emperor of Japan has been reigning for 28 years. He will turn 83 on December 23. Hussain Bin Ebrahim Al Hammadi, Minister of Education, attended the event.
Fujiki stated that there has been a long history of friendship between the imperial and royal families of Japan and the UAE even before the foundation of the UAE, which has been a fundamental basis for the cordial relationship between two nations.
“Today, Japan and the UAE share a number of common basic values and national goals such as creating a tolerant society, constructing a knowledge-based economy, strengthening education for the next generation, promoting science, technology, and innovation, expanding women’s participation, strengthening international cooperation to cope with global climate change, and many others,” Fujiki said.
Fujiki also spoke about the recent developments of bilateral relationship such as a significant expansion of economic ties. The UAE’s non-oil export to Japan has increased by 42 per cent over the last two years and the UAE’s import from Japan has increased by 36 per cent over the past five years. For oil trade, Japan is the largest oil importer from the UAE and the UAE is the second largest oil importer to Japan.
Fujiki also highlighted the progress of cooperation in the fields of education. The number of Emirati students studying in Japan has more than doubled over the past two years. The UAE and Japan also have space cooperation for the UAE’s Emirates Mars Mission, which aims to send a space probe to Mars by 2021.
