Tokyo- Japan’s Emperor Akihito awarded King Salman bin Abdulaziz the prestigious “Daisy High Medal”, in appreciation of his leading role on both the regional and international levels.

King Salman met with the Japanese emperor on Tuesday in Tokyo.

A statement from the Saudi Press Agency said that the King expressed pleasure for visiting Japan and meeting the emperor.

The emperor threw a luncheon in the King’s honor, in the presence of Saudi Minister of State and Member of the Cabinet Dr. Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz Al-Assaf, as well as other prominent figures.

King Salman left Japan on Wednesday, heading to China, as part of his Asia tour, which has seen him travel to Indonesia, Brunei and Malaysia.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Saudi King attended the Business Forum of the “Saudi-Japan Vision 2030”, which was organized by the Saudi trade and investment authorities and the Japan Cooperation Center for the Middle East.

Addressing the gathering, Saudi Arabia’s Economy and Planning Minister Adel Faqih said that Japan’s economic and human capabilities were a strong impetus for more cooperation towards the achievement of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

He noted that Saudi Arabia and Japan were determined to further boost this cooperation and facilitate the implementation of a large number of initiatives within the Saudi-Japanese Vision 2030.

The Saudi minister added that joint projects would focus on industrial competitiveness, technology, energy, natural resources, entertainment and media, healthcare, medical materials, infrastructure, agriculture and food security, small and medium facilities, capabilities building, culture, sports and education, as well as investment and finance.

The Saudi trade and investment bodies represented by the Saudi General Authority for Investment outlined the goals set in the Kingdom Vision 2030, as well as investment opportunities in the fields of technology, communications, transportation, logistics, medical equipment and energy.

Also on Tuesday, Saudi Arabia and Japan signed a cooperation agreement in the field of water desalination.
The agreement aims at boosting joint efforts to expand the ability of water desalination stations and increase the availability of desalinated water resources, with the support of the Japanese private sector.

Another memorandum of cooperation was signed Tuesday between the Saudi Ministry of Health and the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in the healthcare field.

The memorandum was signed by Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabeah, Minister of Health, and Japanese Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Yasuhisa Shiozaki. It seeks to establish a cooperation ground in the field of healthcare between the two countries.