By Anand Holla

The who’s who of the diplomatic community of Qatar and a long line of VIPs graced a reception hosted for the celebration of the 82nd birthday of His Majesty, the Emperor of Japan, at the residence of the Ambassador of Japan to Qatar, Shingo Tsuda, on Tuesday evening.
The large hall of the ambassador’s residence was packed with dignitaries who broke into cheery conversations and exchanged pleasantries as they convened to join in the occasion. Once the ambassador finished his speech, the doors to the lawn were opened and the guests welcomed to tuck into a buffet featuring the choicest of authentic Japanese delicacies prepared by Chef Kahsiwazaki and his team.
The guests for the evening featured several ambassadors and a host of dignitaries, including the special guests Dr Issa Saad al-Jafali al-Nuaimi, Minister of Administrative Development; Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani, Foreign Minister’s Assistant for International Cooperation; Ambassador Ibrahim Fakhroo, Director of Protocol, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Ali Ibrahim Ahmed, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps.
In his speech, the ambassador, citing the Qatar-Japan bilateral relations this year, recalled, “It began with the visit of His Highness the Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, to Japan. As part of the official visit, the Emir was received by the Emperor at the Imperial Palace. It started with a face-to-face meeting, followed by a court luncheon calling the Crown Prince, the Prince and the delegates, which took about two hours in the Palace.
“With fine weather, the view of the imperial garden was dazzling and ikebana flowers in the dining area were carefully decorated obviously with the aim of bringing utmost comfort. As for myself, I was too nervous to even remember what I ate,” the ambassador jested.
Since the Emir came alone, Her Majesty the Empress did not have an opportunity to greet his Highness, Tsuda pointed out. “However, I came to know that it was the Empress herself who had arranged ikebana flowers in the dining area for that day,” he continued, “Another occasion that highlights the Emir’s visit was an opportunity to meet with the business leaders of various fields as well as summit meeting with our Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, followed by a dinner banquet.”
Apart from the top level diplomacy, the relationship between the two countries has been steadily developing, observed Tsuda. The trade volume between Qatar and Japan exceeds US$35 billion, he said. “Japan has been the biggest trading partner to Qatar and Qatar has been a major and stable energy supplier to Japan for a long time,” said Tsuda.
The ambassador further elaborated, “Japanese companies have been contributing to the sustainable growth of Qatar by continued participation in developing infrastructure and securing lifeline as contractors or investor in such major projects as Doha Metro and Facility DIWPP, Integrated Water and Power Project. Under the comprehensive partnership, bilateral relations have been diversified beyond energy and trade into the fields of defence, culture, education, health, sports and human resources development.
“In fact, many Qatari technical and administrative staff have been invited to Japan under several Japanese companies’ training programmes to foster a qualified young generation that shoulders the future of Qatar,” Tsuda said.
The ambassador also drew the audience’s attention to a special project underway between Qatar and Japan – a moving documentary film Beyond the Tsunami that’s expected to be ready early next year. The film tells a story about what happened to a small fishery town on March 11, 2011. “A day that will never be forgotten, a day when the entire town was swallowed by tsunami,” Tsuda said.
The small town’s recovery from the catastrophe was “triggered by the support” of Qatar and its people. The film is slated to be screened in March 2016, both here and in Japan. The ambassador also thanked the Qatari government for supporting the Japanese society in Qatar, including the Japan School of Doha.