Saudi Arabia’s remarkable economic and social transformation now underway is much like the rise of Japan several decades ago, according to Tokyo’s envoy Fumio Iwai.
Japan’s ambassador made the comments in a lecture on Sept. 28 titled “Experience of Japan through Meiji Restoration” at Abdulrahman Al-Sudairy Cultural Center in Sakaka, Jouf province.
Iwai said there were considerable similarities between the two nations including the developments in industry, culture, job creation, and the passion of the people.
He also exchanged opinions with members of the audience during a question-and-answer session.
Prior to the lecture, Iwai met with Prince Faisal bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz, the governor of Jouf.
He had earlier met with Jouf University’s president Dr. Mohammed bin Mufrij Al-Huwaiti, and visited the local chamber of commerce, as well as the Nawwaf Al-Rashed Heritage Museum.
In a post on X, Iwai said the visit was a “fun experience, but at the same time very difficult, especially in the question-and-answer session.”
“I once again realized the limitations of my listening and understanding skills in Arabic,” he added.
كانت تجربة ممتعة ولكن في نفس الوقت صعبة جدًا وخاصة في جلسة الأسئلة والإجابات. أدركت مرة أخرى قصور مهاراتي للاستماع والفهم باللغة العربيةhttps://t.co/ZYeVcvDagt
— Iwai Fumio (@FumioIwai) September 28, 2023
