Noor Nugali, Riyadh

In September 1953, the Japanese government proposed establishing diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia.

Less than two years later, in June 1955, the Saudi government officially replied through its embassy in Egypt, agreeing to Japan’s suggestion and marking the dawn of a new era of cooperation between the two countries.

By 1958 the Kingdom had opened an embassy in Tokyo and Japan followed suit two years later with one of its own in Jeddah. The Japanese embassy moved to Riyadh in 1984.

Since then relations between the two countries have been strengthened through mutual visits by imperial and royal family members.

In 1981, the then Japanese Crown Prince Akihito and Crown Princess Michiko (later to become the Emperor and Empress of Japan) visited Saudi Arabia. That was followed in 1994 by a trip to the Kingdom by Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako, who earlier this year became Emperor and Empress.

At the end of April and beginning of May 2013, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe paid an official visit to Saudi Arabia and held talks with Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, now the monarch.

In 1960, the late Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, the Kingdom’s former defense minister and crown prince, became the first member of the Saudi royal family to go to Japan.

King Faisal (1971), Prince Salman (1998) then governor of Riyadh region, and Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz (1998), also traveled to Japan on official business.

In February 2014 the then Crown Prince Salman visited Japan as official guest of the Japanese government, holding talks with premier Abe. During the visit both governments issued a joint statement expressing their determination to strengthen partnerships and cooperation in all fields.

On the death of King Abdullah in January 2015, the Japanese crown prince made a special trip to Saudi Arabia to offer his condolences.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman went to Japan in 2016, when he was the Kingdom’s deputy crown prince, and held talks with Abe and Emperor Akihito.

King Salman met with Emperor Akihito and Abe in Japan in March 2017 as part of a seven-nation tour, the first Saudi monarch to journey to Tokyo since King Faisal in 1971.

Crown Prince Mohammed was in Osaka for the G20 summit earlier this year.