- ARAB NEWS
- 22 Jan 2025
Since 1975
RIYADH: Thousands of people flocked to the Japan Festival held recently in Riyadh, which attracted businesspeople, matcha tea lovers, anime fans, and car enthusiasts alike.
Organized jointly by the Embassy of Japan, the Japan External Trade Organization, and the Japanese Society in Riyadh, the festival was held at the Saudi capital’s Cultural Palace and hosted around 8,000 visitors over two days.
A JETRO spokesperson told Arab News that more than a few Japanese have been keeping a close eye on Saudi Arabia’s future potential.
“For Japan, Saudi Arabia has been one of the most important trade partners due to two reasons. One is that Saudi Arabia has been the biggest exporter of crude oil to Japan and the other (is that) Saudi Arabia highly evaluates Japanese technologies, in particular transportation equipment,” the spokesperson said.
On Japan-Saudi exports, the JETRO spokesperson noted that Japanese exports to Saudi Arabia totaled $6.36 billion in 2023, up 25.2 percent from the previous year.
Of that total, transportation equipment accounted for 70.2 percent of total exports. Automobiles grew 31.3 percent to $4.25 billion, with passenger cars and buses/trucks growing 32.8 percent and 24.2 percent respectively.
Imports declined $34.78 billion, down 19.2 percent from the previous year. Crude oil and crude oil imports, which account for 95.7 percent of total imports, declined 17.9 percent to $33.3 billion due to lower crude oil prices and production cuts. In 2023, oil imports from Saudi Arabia accounted for 40.4 percent of Japan’s total.
Major car brands like Mitsubishi and Toyota were on display at the event, as well as several technology, beauty, art and recreational brands.
Trading house Itochu, and Kumon, the children’s educational network, were some of the big name brands participating in the event.
Stage performances showcased a number of Japanese cultural offerings including a drum performance by the students of the Japanese School in Riyadh, a martial arts demonstration, a tea ceremony, umbrella juggling, live painting, and performances of popular traditional and anime songs.
Guests were able to learn about Japanese tourism, play with traditional toys, learn origami, and try on a Japanese kimono or yukata.
Visitors were also educated on Japanese tourism, and enjoyed traditional Japanese toys, calligraphy and craft workshops.
In the booth area, Japanese industrial products with cutting-edge technology and Japanese cars from major brands were displayed.
On Nov. 23, the 15th Japanese Speech Contest was held jointly Embassy of Japan and Ministry of Education of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
During the contest 31 participants gave their speeches in Japanese. MORINO Yasunari, Ambassador of Japan to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expressed his hope that Japanese language learners would serve as a bridge between Saudi Arabia and Japan to further deepen their friendship and cooperation.
In her remarks, Hanan Khadr Ali Alzahrani, Supervisor for Student Activities from Ministry of Education, expressed appreciation for holding the event.
All participants demonstrated the outcome of their diligent learning.
Muhammad Rashad, who won the gold award in the advanced level, gave a speech in Japanese about the role of Saudis to highlight all the attractions of Saudi Arabia in the Saudi pavilion at the Expo Osaka 2025.
On the other side, Dana Al-Qarni, the winner of the gold award in the beginner category, spoke about her experience in learning the Japanese language.
