Japanese National Day celebrated with fervor

RIYADH — Many Saudi government officials and guests from different sectors as well as representatives from diplomatic corps attended a reception held at the residence of Japanese Ambassador Norihiro Okuda here recently. Prince Faisal Bin Bandar, Emir of Riyadh, attended the reception representing the government of Saudi Arabia. The event was to celebrate the 83rd birthday of Emperor Akihito. Ambassador Okuda mentioned: “It is my great honor to host this event celebrating the 83rd anniversary of the birthday for His Majesty the Emperor of Japan. Since the very moment of his accession to the emperor, His Majesty has always been encouraging Japanese people, cheering them up and inspiring them for 28 years through thick and thin. Especially when our country suffers from natural disasters such as earthquakes, the emperor has always been there to give consolation to the suffering people, and we may have taken it for granted.” He also referred to the very cordial relationship between the two countries, expressing gratitude to the sincere condolence for the recent demise of Mikasanomiya, the younger brother or the late Emperor Showa. "This year Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, second deputy premier and minister of defense, visited Japan and had audience with the emperor and the crown prince, the ambassador said. Every year the embassy of Japan showcases various cultural exhibitions to introduce modern and traditional Japanese culture on the occasion of National Day. This year, in the light of the flourishing economic and cultural cooperation between the two countries, Japanese cutting-edge technology for next generation of entertainment came under the spotlight: Japanese Company Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. demonstrated its virtual reality system “Toppan VR” and attendees enjoyed a virtual world of an old Japanese cultural heritage with high definition computer graphics.