Arab News Japan
ABU DHABI: Japan’s Ambassador to the UAE Akio ISOMATA hosted a reception in honor of Emperor Naruhito’s 62nd birthday on March 23 in the UAE’s capital.
At the reception, Isomata gave a speech highlighting the strong bilateral relationship between the two countries and discussing various fields of cooperation including the UAE-Japan Expo handover, oil and gas sectors, as well as space missions. He also celebrated the 50th year anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
“At the juncture of 50th anniversary, Japan is committed to actively broaden its ever-developing frontier of cooperation with the UAE, with the next 50 years of our relationship in mind. In our efforts for future cooperation, I believe there are two pillars of critical importance: human resource development and innovation,” the Ambassador said.
Isomata explained that in the field of human resource development, education was at the forefront. UAE students at Japanese universities and graduate schools is commonly seen.
He told guests that the Japanese School in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi started accepting Emirati students since 2006, at the request of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
“These Emirati children begin their schooling from the kindergarten at the Japanese School here which adopts Japan’s standard curriculum, including Japanese-style discipline and moral education,” he added. “When they finish junior high school here, they move on to Japan to continue their schooling at a senior high school in Japan, and then, on to a Japanese university.”
In terms of innovation, Isomata said the main key to success is matching up Japanese technologies with the resources of the UAE in a way that brings “concrete results.”
“For example, in the field of outer space, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, worked together with MBR Space Centre in launching Earth Observation Satellite ‘KhalifaSat’ in 2018 and Mars Orbiter ‘HOPE Probe’ in 2020, using JAXA’s H2A rockets,” he said, adding that a Japanese startup is currently working with MBR Space Center to help deliver a UAE-made rover named the ‘Rashid Rover,’ to the surface of the moon this year.
“As the UAE continues to develop rapidly, areas where Japan can closely cooperate with the UAE are also expanding, such as renewable energy, advanced robotics, artificial intelligence, health care and medical equipment, biotechnology, etc.,” Isomata added. Decarbonization is also high on the agenda, he said, as the two countries would together to reach the net-zero emissions by 2050.
Isomata concluded his speech congratulating the UAE on its successful hosting of Expo 2020 Dubai, the first ever Expo in the Middle East.
“The next Expo is, as we all know, Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai. Expo is a venue and an opportunity where people around the world can see their dreams and hopes for the future. I cannot help but feel that Japan and the UAE are predestined to be close partners in so many things. The theme of Expo 2020 is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future,’ and the theme of Expo 2025 is ‘Designing Future Society for Our Lives,’” he said.
Also present at the reception was Ikebana professor Harue Oki, who presented a floral arrangement that included a mix of Sakura and Yanagi inspired by Japanese poetry Kokinwakashu.
The UAE’s national tree the Ghaf Tree was also used in the arrangement to celebrate the 50th year anniversary of diplomatic relations between the UAE and Japan.
At the event, guests were offered a variety of authentic Japanese dishes, including wagyu and sushi, made using fresh ingredients imported from Japan by the Ambassador’s personal chef Tanaka.