A delegation of Japanese youth recently visited the Kingdom to deepen cultural ties between the two countries.

Prince Nawaf bin Faisal bin Fahad, president of the General Presidency for Youth Welfare, hosted the young people.

Japanese Ambassador Jiro Kodera thanked Prince Nawaf and said the program gave the youths from both countries the opportunity to learn about each other’s culture.

“The youth exchange program has helped deepen the bilateral relationship and friendship at the level of citizens,” said Kodera.

The Japanese youth toured Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam and visited vocational schools, museums, local companies and universities. The Japanese delegation also held discussions with Saudi youth at the King Abdulaziz National Dialogue Center and the Japanese language section of the College of Language and Translation at King Saud University.

Saudi Arabia and Japan signed an agreement during the visit of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, then the Crown Prince, to Japan in October 1998.

According to the agreement, Japan and Saudi Arabia have been sending 10-member youth delegations annually to each other.

A Saudi youth delegation visited Japan last year. During their stay in Tokyo, they visited the ministries of foreign affairs, education, culture, sports, science and technology, the Saudi embassy and Tokyo University of Foreign Affairs.

The delegation also visited the town of Minamisanriku in Miyagi prefecture, in the northern part of Japan. Minamisanriku was affected by the tsunami that hit Japan in March 2011.

Japan and Saudi Arabia have had diplomatic relations since 1955.

Saudi Arabia was the Gulf’s biggest exporter to Japan in 2012. Its exports totaled $ 32.52 billion, compared to $ 28.36 billion in 2011. It was also the second largest importer from Japan in 2012, at $ 4.82 billion compared to $ 3.55 billion the previous year.