RIYADH: Japanese Ambassador Norihiro Okuda recently hosted a reception here to commemorate Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) Day attended by elite Saudi officials and diplomatic corps.

“This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Saudi Arabia,” Okuda said in his speech.

A year before bilateral diplomatic relations started, precisely on July 1, 1954, JSDF were officially formed, he said. “Since then, they have been proudly serving Japan to fulfill commitments in accordance with the Constitution and national security policies.”

He said: “After 61 years of their service to the nation, their assiduous engagement with their duty has won trust and appreciation from most Japanese citizens.”

The envoy also talked on JSDF engagement in this region. In 1991, after the end of “Operation Desert Storm,” and during his previous posting in the Kingdom, six naval vessels were deployed to the Gulf for removing mines laid by the then Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

“This was the first deployment of the forces outside Japanese territory since 1945. Since then, they have started to work with their friendly counterparts for the security and stability in this part of the world,” he said.

“Currently two destroyers and two patrol aircraft of JSDF have been deployed for the anti-piracy operation in Gulf of Aden since 2009,” Okuda said, adding that their activities in cooperation with other friendly countries have turned out to be effective as the number of piracy activities have dramatically reduced there.

According to him, during the reception, Japanese specialties including sushi and tempura were served, with a Japanese sushi master’s performance creating fresh sushi in front of guests. The envoy was in Riyadh 25 years ago as a young political counselor when the first Gulf war broke out in 1990.