Staff Writer, Dubai

Japanese cuisine has left a mark globally and is the third most popular food choice amongst the world’s population, according to YouGov.

Around the Middle East, Sushi and ramen restaurants can be found in most major cities. According to a YouGov poll conducted for Arab News Japan, 46% of Arabs even named Japanese food as one of their top three main tourist attractions in Japan.

Despite the ongoing protests in Lebanon, the Embassy of Lebanon in Japan has recently announced that Aref Saade, owner of popular restaurant Shogun Lounge, was awarded with the Minister's Award for Overseas Promotion of Japanese Food Dec. 13.

The award is granted by the Japanese Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and is presented to “people who have made outstanding contributions to the introduction and spread of Japanese cuisine and Japanese foods overseas; and five persons from all over the world are awarded every year,” stated the Lebanese embassy.

According to the embassy, Saade has jointly hosted a number of seminars and workshops on Japanese cuisine with the Embassy of Japan in Lebanon.

Minister Eto Taku presented the award and gave a testimonial to Saade at the ceremony, which Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also attended.

The Shogun Lounge is located in Lebanon’s capital Beirut and has been operating since 1998. It also offers Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese food to diners.

Lebanese protests have been ongoing for two months, with demonstrators calling for newly elected Prime Minister Hassan Diab to step down.