Qatar Embassy in Tokyo hosts grand celebration for National Day

TOKYO: The Qatari Embassy held a National Day reception in Tokyo on December 12, with Ambassador Jaber Jarallah Al-Marri highlighting the country’s history and strong relationship with Japan in a festive event.

In his welcoming speech, the Ambassador recognized “the founder of the state, Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, under whose leadership Qatar became a single cohesive entity and an independent unified country in 1878.”

Ambassador Al-Marri, reminding his audience of the terrible war raging in Gaza and its environs, emphasized in a resolute tone the urgent need for peace in the region, stating, “Our region is witnessing extremely dangerous events that threaten the security and stability of the entire world. Gaza is still suffering from an unprecedented humanitarian disaster. We in the State of Qatar are convinced that the only way towards stability and prosperity in the region is to achieve a just and lasting peace for the Palestinian issue based on international law, international legitimacy resolutions, and the vision of a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders.”

Expressing his gratitude, Ambassador Al-Marri thanked Japan for its support of the Palestinian people and its commitment to the two-state solution. He also praised the long-standing relationship between Qatar and Japan, underscoring the strength of their bilateral ties.

“We in the State of Qatar are pleased and proud of our strategic partnership with Japan, which has developed over more than half a century on the basis of cooperation, common interests and mutual respect,” the Ambassador said. “The commercial, economic and investment interests between our two countries have formed the backbone of our bilateral relations and contributed to raising them to the level of a strategic partnership.”

Ambassador Al-Marri expressed his country’s profound gratitude for the contributions of Japanese companies to its infrastructure and energy projects. He also reiterated Qatar’s unwavering commitment to providing Japan with stable and sufficient energy supplies.

Support for Japan next year will also include participation in the World Expo 2025 Osaka with a pavilion that aims to highlight the accomplishments of Qatar and its vision for the future.

The Qatari Ambassador reaffirmed Qatar’s determination to continue working closely with their Japanese friends and partners to achieve their shared ambitions within the framework of the existing strategic partnership between the two countries.

Qatar, he added, “is steadily moving towards a brighter, more prosperous, and more developed future. The development, stability, security and major renaissance witnessed by our country in all economic, social and infrastructure aspects constitute a distinctive leap for a successful experience that has been able to knock on the doors of the future with the perseverance of its loyal sons and generous people.”

The event was attended by MATSUMOTO Hisashi, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Japanese government officials and others from parliament and various ministries, business representatives, the media and diplomats.

Matsumoto said it was a “great honor” to attend the celebrations and congratulated the Ambassador and the people of Qatar on behalf of the government of Japan. He thanked Qatar for its support after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 and added he was “pleased to see the rapid expansion and deepening of our cooperation into a wide range of areas. Japan would like to further deepen cooperation with our strategic partner, the State of Qatar.”

He noted that Japan Airlines launched a new, nonstop, daily service between Haneda Airport and Doha earlier this year, the first direct flight to the Middle East by a Japanese airline and visa restrictions were relaxed for Qatari citizens. A business-class ticket on Qatar Airways, which also flies directly from Japan, was won by a Japanese businessman attending the event.

The guests were offered Arabic food, and Qatari music played while videos and photos of Qatar were displayed.

Qatar Ambassador, Japanese industry minister discuss energy and trade

Japan aims to foster ‘people-to-people’ relations with Qatar following trade growth

Outgoing Japanese Ambassador to Qatar, Satoshi Maeda, spoke at a press conference earlier this month to cap off his tenure.

Japan’s outgoing ambassador to Qatar Satoshi Maeda said the East Asian country is looking to boost people-to-people relations with Qatar as the next step, following the recent strengthening of trade relations between the two nations.

Maeda said the relationship between the two countries, established in 1972, has now elevated to a “strategic” level, opening ways to pursue other forms of collaboration in energy, business, and cultural exchange.

“In recent years, the bilateral relationship has expanded beyond energy to encompass a wide range of areas, including foreign policy, economic investment, security, education, and culture,” Maeda, who will be heading to Japan after completing his tenure, said.

Japan’s exports to Qatar in 2023 reached the highest figures in more than 15 years, with automobiles, car parts, and steel pipes used in gas fields comprising more than two-thirds of the total exports.

On the flip side, Japan has been one of the biggest importers of Qatar’s liquified natural gas (LNG) and has been actively involved in the construction of extraction plants across the Gulf nation since 1990.

Such exchanges are expected to grow with the expansion of Qatar’s North Field, which remains one of the largest non-associated natural gas fields in the world.

Doha to hold third Qatar-Japan strategic dialogue
The outgoing envoy confirmed Doha as the host city of the third strategic dialogue between Japan and Qatar, without specifying the start date.

“The dialogue aims to build upon the strong strategic partnership established between Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and His Highness Sheikh Tamim in July 2023,” the ambassador added.

The first strategic dialogue was held between the foreign ministers during Sheikh Tamim’s visit to Japan in January 2019.

Kishida visited Qatar in 2023, marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

The Japanese Prime Minister had said he was keen on transforming “possibilities into realities over the next five decades” upon his arrival in Doha, calling Qatar a significant ally.

Japan appreciative of Qatar’s mediation efforts
In his statement at a press conference on November 5, Maeda said Japan is appreciative of Qatar’s mediation efforts and “strongly supports” a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

“We understand that negotiations for a ceasefire and the release of the hostages are at a critical stage, and the international community must urge both Hamas and Israel to commit to the negotiation process,” he said.

Qatar has since said its diplomatic efforts have been stalled at present, denying claims of its withdrawal from the process. It reiterated that the Gulf country will resume only if Israel and Hamas “show their willingness and seriousness to end the brutal war”.

Japan supports a two-state solution and is in favour of medium to long-term peace and stability in the Middle East, he went on to say.

“Japan will continue to engage in diplomatic efforts, based on its relations with the countries in the region and as a member of the G7 and of the UN Security Council, and in close coordination with other countries, toward calming the situation as soon as possible,” Maeda added.

Qatar denies reports of withdrawal from Gaza talks and closure of Hamas office

Anime and manga can deepen ties
The Japanese envoy said that the deepening of economic and political ties, underpinned by “mutual interests and joint priorities” will translate into more initiatives at the community level between the two countries.

“While we aim to continue the existing collaborations […] We constantly strive at the same time to find new areas to deepen the understanding of Japan between the people of Qatar,” he said.

The emergence of quality Japan-themed cafes and restaurants as well as the growing interest in anime and manga – one of Japan’s largest cultural exports in the world – has already marked the start, he said.

“Promoting the anime and manga Culture in Qatar and exploring potential collaborations in hosting events to attract young audiences and animation production is one of the areas to focus on,” he added.

During his tenure, Maeda also saw Japan issue a visa waiver for Qatari nationals and increase the number of flights between the two countries.

He said the visa waiver as well as the introduction of several educational exchanges have significantly helped the Qatari population to expose themselves to Japanese culture.