ShareTOKYO: Kuwaiti Minister of Information, Culture and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi affirmed Kuwait’s keenness on effective and distinguished participation in Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai, noting that the country does not only seek to be present but also aims to achieve excellence and win the exhibition’s awards, in addition to introducing global visitors to its future vision and rich cultural heritage.
This was stated during a meeting held by Minister Al-Mutairi in Tokyo with the Japanese Minister in charge of the exhibition, Yoshitaka Ito, to discuss the latest preparations for Kuwait’s participation in the global event scheduled to kick off on April 13. The minister explained that Kuwait participated for the first time in Expo Osaka in 1970 and returns after 55 years to enhance the journey of friendship and cooperation with Japan, which has extended for more than 60 years.
He stressed that Japan’s success in organizing the exhibition also represents a success for Kuwait, reflecting its commitment to active and effective participation, as it was the first Arab country and the eighth in the world to conclude a participation contract and start building its pavilion. He added that Kuwait was keen to announce its pavilion through a press conference in Japan in appreciation of the historical bilateral relations between the two countries, praising the efforts made by the Kuwaiti Embassy in Tokyo to support Kuwaiti participation and facilitate visits by delegations from the Ministry of Information to follow up on the progress of the pavilion’s construction and ensure its best appearance.
Minister Al-Mutairi pointed out that his visit to Japan aims to directly review the latest developments in the construction of the pavilion and ensure its commitment to the highest safety standards, indicating that he will conduct a field tour of the construction site to meet with the concerned company and review the progress and commitment to the exhibition’s organizational and technical regulations.
For his part, Minister Ito expressed his appreciation for Kuwait’s participation and its keenness to present a distinguished pavilion that reflects the depth of friendship between the two countries, noting that the unique design of the Kuwaiti pavilion will attract the attention of visitors from all over the world, contributing to strengthening cultural ties between Kuwait and Japan. He described the exhibition as an opportunity to link Japanese regions with various countries across the world, aiming to achieve broader economic benefits beyond the city of Osaka.
He also expressed his gratitude for the invitation extended by Minister Al-Mutairi to the President of the Association of Japanese Prefectural Governors and Governor of Miyagi Prefecture, Yoshihiro Murai, to visit Kuwait and participate in the launching ceremony of the activities of ‘Kuwait, Capital of Arab Culture and Media 2025,’ praising the warm welcome he received during the visit. Minister Ito renewed his appreciation for the support provided by Kuwait to Japan following the earthquake and tsunami disaster in March 2011, stressing that this humanitarian stance will remain etched in the memory of the Japanese people.
For his part, the Ambassador of Kuwait to Japan, Sami Al-Zamanan, emphasized the commitment to make this participation a success, revealing that he organized a meeting for the ambassadors of Arab countries in Tokyo in the presence of officials from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the organizing committee of the exhibition with the aim of enhancing Arab cooperation and encouraging Arab countries to participate in the event in support of Japan.
Al-Zamanan stressed that the Embassy of the State of Kuwait is fully prepared to overcome any obstacles to ensure the success of the Kuwaiti participation, praising the precision and organization that characterize the Japanese people. In this regard, he pointed out that all logistical capabilities were provided to support those responsible for the Kuwait Pavilion.
The meeting was attended by the Assistant Undersecretary for Administrative and Financial Affairs at the Ministry of Information, Salem Al-Watyan and the Engineering Advisor to the Minister of Information and Culture as well as the Minister of State for Youth Affairs, Nasser Al-Khalidi. The Japanese side was represented by the Ambassador in charge of Economic Diplomacy and Deputy Director General of the Economic Affairs Department at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Izuru Kobayashi, along with several officials from the Government Office and the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. — KUNA
