His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah ibni His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, on Friday attended a reception to commemorate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Brunei Darussalam and Japan at the Imperial Hotel, Tokyo, Japan.
His Royal Highness in a sabda expressed pleasure to attend the reception in celebrating the 40th anniversary of Brunei-Japan diplomatic relations, in which both countries enjoy excellent cooperation in energy, trade and investment, education and people-to-people exchanges.
The confidence and trust built between the Brunei Government, Shell and Mitsubishi Corporation since 1969 have contributed to the energy cooperation by the two countries today.
His Royal Highness also shared that Brunei Darussalam has been a steady and reliable supplier of energy with 2022 marking the 50th anniversary of the BLNG shipment to Japan.
In this regard, His Royal Highness looks forward to deepening these ties in the near future.
His Royal Highness also welcomed the finalisation of the visa waiver arrangement and expressed confidence that this will facilitate travel and the movement of goods and services, particularly as the two countries mark the 2024 Brunei-Japan Friendship Year.
On regional cooperation, His Royal Highness remarked on the close collaboration between the two countries towards advancing ASEAN’s community-building efforts under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in promoting regional peace and prosperity.
In concluding the sabda, His Royal Highness expressed appreciation for Japan’s contribution to the ASEAN Junior Fellowship Programme mooted by His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam in 2021 for bringing the people in the region closer together and instilling a greater understanding of ASEAN. Prior to the reception, His Royal Highness welcomed the arrival of His Imperial Highness Crown Prince Akishino and subsequently held a meeting with His Imperial Highness. His Royal Highness and His Imperial Highness were then ushered to the reception hall.
The reception began with the national anthems of Brunei Darussalam and Japan, followed by welcoming remarks from Ambassador of Brunei Darussalam to Japan Haji Shahbudin bin Haji Musa as the host of the reception, and a speech from Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan Yoshimasa Hayashi as the representative of the Government of Japan.
His Royal Highness and His Imperial Highness then proceeded to view an exhibition showcasing and promoting products and services of Brunei Darussalam.
The exhibition comprised government agencies and companies from Brunei Darussalam as well as key business stakeholders actively engaged with the Japanese oil and gas industries, including the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports; the Department of Energy, Prime Minister’s Office; the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism; Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB); Royal Brunei; The Empire Brunei; Darussalam Enterprise (DARe); Brunei Gas Carriers Sdn Bhd; Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd; Brunei LNG Sdn Bhd; and Brunei Methanol Company Sdn Bhd.
His Royal Highness also met with representatives from various Japanese companies, including Tokyo Gas, Japan’s Energy for a New Era (JERA), Japan Petroleum Exploration (JAPEX) and Mitsubishi Corporation.
The 40 years of diplomatic relations between Brunei Darussalam and Japan have demonstrated the ongoing commitment of both countries to strengthen the longstanding and goodwill cooperation in areas such as the economy, energy and people-to-people exchanges.
As one of Brunei Darussalam’s key energy trade partners, the official visit of His Royal Highness to Japan also boosted opportunities to enhance collaboration in the energy sector.
