• Saudi vice minister of culture expresses gratitude for support at Osaka

Rashid Hassan 

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Vice Minister of Culture Hamed Fayez has met Japan’s Ambassador to the Kingdom MORINO Yasunari at the Ministry of Culture in Riyadh.

Fayez expressed his gratitude to the Japanese for their generous support of the Kingdom during its participation at Expo 2025. The event is being held in Osaka, Japan, and concludes on Oct. 13. It is the second time that Osaka Prefecture has hosted such an event, having previously hosted Expo 1970.

The Saudi minister also voiced his enthusiasm for Japan’s participation at Expo 2030, which will be held in Riyadh.

Japan’s ambassador told Arab News: “I had a very good meeting with the vice minister. We share a positive outlook on Japan-Saudi cultural exchanges, especially on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of Japan-Saudi relations.

“We appreciate the Saudi government’s active participation in the Osaka-Kansai Expo, which greatly contributes to the deepening of mutual understanding between Japan and Saudi Arabia. We look forward to the Riyadh Expo in 2030.”

The two officials also focused on cultural exchanges between the Kingdom and Japan in several fields, including the “Manga Hokusai Manga” exhibition earlier this year at the Saudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Saudi Cultural Week in July in Osaka, which marked 70 years of diplomatic relations between the countries.

Riyadh is to celebrate that milestone with a special Japan Festival which is scheduled for Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. The event will spotlight Japanese culture, with traditional performances, hands-on workshops, tourism experiences, and corporate booths

A special performance featuring a traditional type of Japanese theater will take place at the event, which is to be held at Riyadh’s Cultural Palace.