Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Japan’s Prime Minister SUGA Yoshihide and Foreign Minister MOTEGI Toshimitsu on Thursday sent letters of condolence to Bahrain leaders on the passing away of Bahrain’s Prime Minister Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa.

Suga said in his letter that was addressed to Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, “I cannot help but feel deep sorrow at the news of the death of Prime Minister Khalifa. On behalf of the Government of Japan and the people of Japan, I would like to express my deepest condolences to your government and people.”

In his letter, the Japanese prime minister praised the late Khalifa for his “great contribution to the stability and prosperity of your country for about fifty years, and based on the close relationships with each country that have been cultivated over many years, to realize peace and stability in the Middle East, and someone who has contributed significantly to the development of the partnership between Japan and Bahrain.”

“The demise of His Highness Khalifa is a great loss not only to the people of the Kingdom of Bahrain but also to the international community. Japan stands as always with the Kingdom of Bahrain and its people to overcome this deep sorrow.”

On the same day, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi also sent a letter to his Bahraini counterpart, Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, in which he conveyed similar feelings as Suga.

Motegi said, “I would like to express our deepest condolences to the Government and people of Bahrain. The late Khalifa contributed significantly to the stability and prosperity of the Kingdom of Bahrain and played a major role in achieving peace and stability in the Middle East, and under his leadership, the partnership between Japan and the Kingdom of Bahrain has grown significantly.

“We hope that the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain and its people, who have strong ties with Japan, will overcome this sadness as soon as possible,” Motegi said in the letter.