Saudi Arabian-Japanese Vision 2030 heralds new era in relations, says Japanese ambassador

[ArabianEmpires&Caliphates]

Saudi-Japanese Vision 2030 heralds new era in relations, says ambassador

Updated 29 June 2019
RASHID HASSAN
June 29, 2019

• Evolving relationship reflects dynamic changes in Kingdom as part of Vision 2030

RIYADH: Just as Saudi Arabia is going through a radical transformation under Saudi Vision 2030, so too is the country’s relationship with Japan growing and evolving, according to Tsukasa Uemura, the Japanese ambassador to the Kingdom.

“Saudi Arabia and Japan have developed a strong partnership since 1955, when the countries first established diplomatic ties,” he said, speaking exclusively with Arab News. “The Kingdom is going through very dynamic socioeconomic changes under Saudi Vision 2030, as is the bilateral relationship between Saudi Arabia and Japan.

“On Sept. 1, 2016, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe set up the Joint Group for Saudi-Japan Vision 2030, heralding a new era of partnership between the two countries.”

Saudi-Japan Vision 2030 was launched by Abe and King Salman in March the following year as a “compass of a new strategic partnership,” Uemura added.

This joint vision is a comprehensive plan to develop a strategic partnership that will serve the economies and future prosperity of both nations by creating a synergy of our two strategies, he said.

He highlighted the fact that Saudi Vision 2030 sets clear goals for the development of a vibrant society, a thriving economy and an ambitious nation, and Japan is keen to play a key role in supporting this.

I am sure that Japanese tourists will be mesmerized by the rich history and culture in Saudi Arabia.

Tsukasa Uemura, Japanese ambassador to Saudi Arabia
​

“Japan has set a new growth strategy to realize Society 5.0 with connected industries,” he said, referring to Japan’s own national transformation program. “In addition, Japan’s growth strategy includes promoting women’s empowerment to develop a diversified and vibrant workforce. The Cool Japan policy (reflecting the country’s emergent status as a cultural powerhouse) adds cultural value to the economy.

“The government of Japan is fully committed to supporting Saudi Arabia’s efforts to realize its socio-economic reforms.”

Visits to Japan by King Salman in 2014 and the crown prince in 2017 helped to transform bilateral relations between the countries in a number of fields, said the envoy.

“We would like to encourage the current momentum of the two countries to raise bilateral relations to ever higher levels,” he added.

Japan’s reputation as a global technology hub can play a big role in supporting sustainable development in the Kingdom through the transfer of technology, Uemura said.

“I believe the best way to promote technology transfer is through investment,” he explained. “As part of Saudi-Japan Vision 2030, Japan is seriously promoting business-investment projects in the Kingdom in cooperation with the Saudi Ministry of Economy and Planning. The Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority and other ministries.”

The Japan Cooperation Center for the Middle East, for example, has helped to establish 11 joint ventures between Japanese and Saudi companies through the provision of feasibility studies.

In line with such efforts, Japan is contributing to the development of human resources and Saudization through two institutions in Riyadh and one in Jeddah that provide professional technical training to Saudi citizens, said Uemura. In addition, the Saudi-Japanese Automobile High Institute in Jeddah teaches young people to become automobile engineers, and the Higher Institute for Plastic Fabrication in Riyadh provides training for jobs in the petrochemicals industry.

Uemura said Japan and Saudi Arabia have signed a number of cooperative agreements in the field of technology and are working together on many high-tech projects, including the establishment of an industrial robotics training facility in the Kingdom.

“Through these projects, I believe that a lot of our experience and knowledge in the field has been transferred to Saudi researchers and students,” he said. “To provide assistance to Saudi students in the technology field, we have the Japanese government scholarship program called MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology). Young, brilliant Saudi students, researchers and teachers are taking advantage of this program to visit Japan to learn science, technology, language, art and business skills.

“Most of the 23-million-strong Saudi population is young. They support the reforms led by the crown prince. Japan also continues to support the reforms, and both the public and private sectors in Japan remain committed to the promotion of the Vision projects under an unwavering strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia.”

Japan is currently hosting the 14th G20 Summit in Osaka, and Saudi Arabia will host next year’s gathering. Uemura believes that Saudi Arabia has an important role to play in the global issues that will be discussed.

“Personally, I believe that Saudi Arabia can contribute a lot to global trade and energy issues,” he said. “As a leader of free trade and a pioneer of energy transition from a dependence on oil to a new form of energy mix, including renewables, the Kingdom can lead the way and promote a bright future, envisioned under Saudi Vision 2030 and related programs, to the world at the G20 in 2020.”

Cultural cooperation and exchanges between the two nations are also evolving, at a time when the entertainment industry in the Kingdom is opening up to new art forms.

Tsukasa Uemura, Japanese ambassador to Saudi Arabia
For example, Uemura said, a “Saudi Cultural Days” event will be held in Tokyo soon, and Riyadh will host a “Japan Cultural Week.”

“We are working hard to arrange many cultural events to provide Saudi people with authentic Japanese cultural experiences through entertainment, traditional cultural events, and Japanese food,” the envoy explained.

After the huge success of “Roads of Arabia” — an archaeological exhibition that showcases the rich civilization, history and culture of the Arabian Peninsula — in Tokyo in January 2018, the Japanese Embassy is organizing a “Beautiful Handcrafts of Tohoku” exhibition that will take place early next year at the National Museum in Riyadh.

Turning to the tourism industry, Uemura said: “I think that Japan can do so much to contribute to Saudi tourism, both privately and publicly.”

Saudi moves to open up the country to foreign visitors by introducing a simple tourist visa system have been widely reported in Japan, and many people there are keen to visit the Kingdom, said Uemura.

The private sector in Japan views Saudi Arabia’s plans to boost tourism as a huge business opportunity and tours are being organized to what is considered one of the great untapped destinations in the world.

“In cooperation with the Japanese government, the tourism industry will bring many Japanese tourists to Saudi,” said Uemura. “I am sure that Japanese tourists will be mesmerized by the rich history and culture in this country and it will deepen their understanding of Saudi Arabia, which will lead to a better understanding of each other.”

Japan has also invited representatives of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage and other official organizations to visit Japan to learn about heritage-related tourism.

“To accelerate our cooperation in this field and aid future cooperation, training courses in tourism and cultural heritage are scheduled in 2019 between the two countries,” said Uemura.

Given that Japan will host the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics, and that the development of sport in the Kingdom is an important part of Vision 2030, this is another area ripe for cooperation.

Uemura noted that the nations have already collaborated on a number of sporting projects and last year arranged exchange visits for participants in judo, fencing, swimming and weightlifting.

The collaboration will continue this year with an archery training camp and a parasports program for women, he added.

Japan has also sent a female Judo coach to help the Saudi women’s Judo team prepare for the Tokyo Olympics.

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1517776/saudi-arabia

 

[ArabianEmpires&Caliphates]

Japanese official: Saudi reforms 'opening up great trade opportunities'

Updated 29 June 2019
RASHID HASSAN
June 29, 2019

• Hideki Sho, Japan's top trade official in Riyadh, says Saudi-Japan Vision 2030 aims to achieve "higher level of strategic partnership"
• Japan is Saudi Arabia’s second-largest source of foreign capital and third-biggest trading partner

RIYADH: As the trade relationship between Japan and Saudi Arabia continues to grow, both countries aim to capitalize on the opportunities created by Saudi Vision 2030. The depth of the relationship has been in evidence at the G20 summit in Osaka, where Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is leading the Saudi delegation.
Moreover, next year Saudi Arabia will become the first Middle Eastern country to host the G20, the most anticipated global gathering. Against this backdrop, Hideki Sho, the managing director of the Riyadh offices of both the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and the Saudi-Japan Vision 2030 Office, spoke to Arab News on plans for bilateral trade and the ways in which cooperation can be further enhanced.
He noted that as the Kingdom’s second-largest source of foreign capital and third-biggest trading partner Japan is one of the country’s major partners.
“Saudi-Japanese total trade volume is significant and we consider each other as very important trading partners,” he said. “In this free-trade world, both Japan and Saudi Arabia gain huge economic benefits from trade. I believe that export items from Saudi Arabia can be more diversified as the result of the Vision 2030 reforms.”
Vision 2030 aims to diversify the Saudi economy, reduce the dependency on oil revenue and create employment through a strategy for sustainable growth. The countries have already agreed a Saudi-Japan Vision 2030, with the Kingdom expecting Japan to be an increasingly significant trading partner.
“The Saudi-Japan Vision 2030 initiative, which was agreed and launched in March 2017, covers a wide range of sectors, including trade and investment, finance, energy and industry, small and medium enterprises, human-capacity development, sports and culture,” said Hideki.

Under the initiative, further promotion of trade in manufactured goods is expected, in addition to crude oil and chemicals. Increased trade in services is also possible.
The latest Saudi-Japan Vision 2030 Business Forum, organized jointly by the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) and JETRO, took place on June 17 in Tokyo.
“More than 300 businesspersons attended the forum and 14 memorandums of understanding were exchanged,” said Hideki.
The forum heard updates on the Saudi business environment and investment opportunities, along with information about new business opportunities in the Kingdom, such as venture investment in start-up businesses and the rapidly growing entertainment sector.
“In the customer satisfaction survey completed by the forum attendees, 91.1 percent said that the event was beneficial and informative,” said Hideki.
SAGIA has introduced new laws designed to encourage foreign investment. Hideki said that this relaxation of regulations governing access to the Tadawul stock exchange for foreign investors is a positive step.
The recently established Nomu equity market, which operates in parallel to the main Saudi market, has lighter listing requirements and serves as an alternative platform for companies to go public, is very important, he said. As part of the Saudi-Japan Vision 2030, there is continuous cooperation between Tadawul and the Tokyo Stock Exchange. He also expressed hopes for more cross-border listings in the near future.
The introduction of VAT in the Kingdom is positively contributing to the financial reform, Hideki said, though he noted that new taxes come with pros and cons; this one, for example, means higher investment costs for the private sector. Other recent changes have also been positive, he added.
“I believe that the introduction of a new insolvency law will enhance the business environment in the Kingdom because it will provide firm choices for foreign investors to liquidate entities in the future,” he said. “I have a strong interest in a new procurement law that will be issued in the very near future.”

FASTFACT
● Saudi-Japan Vision 2030 initiative launched in 2017.

● Areas include trade, investment, finance, energy, SMEs, sports and culture.

● Saudi-Japan Vision 2030 Business Forum held on June 17 in Tokyo.

● Japanese firms have set up 115 business entities in Saudi Arabia.

● Saudi-Japan annual trade currently worth $26.67 billion.

Hideki said a stronger commitment by the government to local procurement is natural and that the new law will contribute further to industrial development and diversification in the Kingdom.
Citing a survey by the Japanese government, Hideki noted that there are 115 business entities operating in Saudi Arabia that were established by Japanese companies. In terms of accumulated direct investment in the Kingdom, Japan ranks fourth, he said.
Since the launch of Saudi-Japan Vision 2030, Japanese companies have contributed more than $30 billion in direct investment and financial commitment to Saudi Arabia.
Hideki said the latest trade statistics show that Japan is the top global destination for Saudi exports, with annual trade worth $26.67 billion, and ranks sixth in terms of imports to the Kingdom, which are worth $5.47 billion.
So Saudi Arabia has a huge trade surplus with Japan. Major export items include crude oil and chemical products, while imports include automobiles, tires and spare parts.
JETRO is a government agency that exists to promote global business by providing a variety of business intelligence to Japanese investors, while adopting a neutral position, Hideki said.
One of JETRO’s most important tasks is to provide accurate, up-to-date information about the Saudi business environment, including investment rules and regulations, the regulatory framework for doing business, tax and incentives, the labor market, and consumer-market trends.
“The collection of statistical data is also an important part of our mission and based on this research, we design and plan business-promotio n activities such as seminars, workshops, delegations, business matching events and one-on-one meetings,” Hideki said.
He noted that the keys to Saudi Arabia’s competitiveness are its geographical location and natural resource-rich economy. He also welcomed the positive effects of the current national reforms to the business environment in general, and to the labor force in the private sector in particular.
“We highly appreciate the great efforts of related Saudi authorities that are making it easier for foreign companies to do business in Saudi Arabia,” he said. “More Saudi participation, including by females, in the private sector is a positive result of ongoing reforms.”

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1517736/saudi-arabia

 

[Wilhelm II]

Japanese people are unique and Japanese creativity too they have different minds I think

 

[damm1t]

Japanese people are unique and Japanese creativity too they have different minds I think

That's why you two can't get along.

 

[Wilhelm II]

That's why you two can't get along.

Business is benefits ground you can work with all

 

[ArabianEmpires&Caliphates]

That's why you two can't get along.

WTF are you blabbering about?

KSA and Japan have excellent ties and so has the Arab world and Japan. 1000's of Arabs live, work and study in Japan and vice versa.

Even the Japanese women know which foreign language to pick, lol.

 

[damm1t]

Even the Japanese women know which foreign language to pick, lol.

lol this is really low how you back yourself with random youtube videos which asked to 10 japanese out of couple hundred millions.