Ramadan an opportunity to increase spiritual piety

This news has been read 6234 times!

This is my first Ramadan in Kuwait since I started my mission last November. In Japan, we understand and respect the customs and traditions of Ramadan and its meaning. It is a well-established custom in Japan that the Prime Minister Mr. Abe invites Ambassadors of Arab countries to Japan to celebrate Eid Al-Fitr.

It is very impressive to see how people cherish this month as well as the solidarity they show and express to each other. I am really enjoying this unique spiritual atmosphere around the whole country, especially offering free meals for the needy before “Maghrib”. I believe Ramadan is an excellent opportunity to renew and strengthen the religious beliefs and restore the good deeds between people.

The number of visitors to Japan from Kuwait has increased magnificently in last three years, and it is continuing to increase year by year. In 2015, we issued 2800 visas to visit Japan, compared to 2200 visas in 2014. I’m so happy to see many people from GCC countries, especially from Kuwait, interested to visit Japan and discover the other side of the world with all of its hidden beauty, magic, and spirit. Visitors to Japan can enjoy the beauty of weather, places, food, festivals and real Japanese life style. Living and touring in Japan is not as expensive as some people think. You are most welcome to visit Japan and see for yourself that Japan is an affordable country.

Some sources estimate the Muslim community in Japan at around 130 thousands, which represent around 1% of the total population. Japan understands and respects Islam and Muslims. Nowadays, the Japanese government is providing services and facilities to attract Muslim tourists to Japan in every aspect such as Halal food and prayer places before Tokyo Olympics 2020 to create a comfortable atmosphere for Muslim visitors to enjoy their stay.

We want to spread the Japanese culture among people in Kuwait and GCC countries. We are very keen to see Kuwaiti people have more knowledge of our lifestyle, history, traditions, food, habits, sports, and so on. Therefore, we strive to organize numerous cultural events and activities to promote and share Japanese culture and arts with our Kuwaiti friends. These events include: film festivals, music shows, calligraphy workshops, origami, Karate tournament, pop-culture events, Japanese language courses and speech contest.

Kuwait and Japan enjoy excellent bilateral relations in all domains since its establishment after Kuwait’s independence. This relation witnessed great development and growth recently after the mutual visits of dignitaries in both countries recently, mainly the visit of Japanese Prime Minister Mr. Shinzo Abe to Kuwait in August 2013, and the visit of Kuwait’s Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak to Japan in May 2016 that created more horizons for developing the distinguished relationship between the two friend countries.

By H.E. Mr Takashi Ashiki

Ambassador of Japan to Kuwait

This news has been read 6234 times!