Faris Alrushud Riyadh

Japanese businessman Kento Fukuta in Bahrain is seeking to provide investments and opportunities for Japanese companies in the Gulf region.

Kento spoke to Arab News Japan about his interest and fascination with the Arab world, explaining that he was impressed with the cultural diversity in Bahrain and the Gulf countries.

He said that people in the Gulf preserved their culture as well as a “peaceful coexistence with foreigners in the country, and the respect for their cultures and religions.”

The design of the roads and perfume manufacturing also interested Kento to a large extent.

“Bahrain is the best country in the Gulf region in terms of the priority of bringing goods, and this explains the large number of Saudi visitors to it per month,” he said.

Kento said he visited Saudi Arabia once a week due to the nature of his work, which is related to the response to inquiries of Japanese companies and consultations on trade and marketing.

Working in Saudi Arabia as part of the Saudi Vision 2030 was an ambition for Kento, but he was unable to do so due to obstacles in front of him, so he decided to work in Bahrain to establish joint commercial relationships, and exchange goods between Japan and the Gulf countries.

He told Arab News Japan his interest in the GCC was sparked by pictures of Dubai’s transformation from a desert to a developed country in a short period of time.

During his time studying policy studies in a Tokyo university, Kento visited the UAE and learned about the economy and policy of Middle Eastern countries.

He also joined a language institutes in Egypt to study Arabic language in 2016. Among the most prominent difficulties he faced in studying Arabic language is the difficulty of differentiating between classical and colloquial Arabic, and the difficulty of Arabic grammar.

Kento said he hopes to conduct training programs to exchange students between Japan and Arab countries and provide social experiences for Japanese to help them become more familiar with the Arabic language and culture.