Japan's Emperor Naruhito on Thursday decorated HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs Dr Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah with 'The Order of the Rising Sun' at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

'The Order of the Rising Sun', which is the highest honour awarded by the Japanese government, was given to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs in recognition of his efforts to strengthen the friendly relations and co-operation between Qatar and Japan, and in appreciation of his role in sponsoring and assisting in the success of projects of Qatar Friendship Fund in Japan for the reconstruction of areas affected by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and a number of Japanese ministers and senior officials attended the ceremony. Meanwhile, the Japanese prime minister awarded the Order of the Rising Sun - Gold and Silver Star to Qatar's former ambassador Yousef Mohamed Bilal in recognition of his great contribution to strengthening relations between Qatar and Japan.

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