Japan will continue its support for Egypt in its developmental path, with special priority in the field of education, the Japanese ambassador in Cairo, Masaki Noke, told Daily News Egypt, during Japanese National Day celebrations on 13 February. "This year is special for the two countries as we expect to inaugurate the largest cultural project that crowns the cooperation between the two countries -the Grand Egyptian Museum- which was established with the support of Japan," the ambassador said. The ambassador highlighted the friendly and cordial relationships that bring together Egyptians and Japanese peoples, and the continuation of cooperation between the two countries in various fields including political, economic, and cultural fields. "Today, Japan marks its national day, which is to celebrate the birthday of Emperor Naruhito, who was born on 23 February 1960. His Majesty Emperor Naruhito is the 126th Emperor in the Imperial Family of Japan and his consort is Her Majesty the Empress Masako," the ambassador said. This year's National Day is very special, as it is the first for the new emperor and the first in the new era named Reiwa. This new era began on 1 May 2019, the date in which Emperor Naruhito ascended the throne after his father, Emperor Akihito, abdicated from his title. Each era in Japan starts and ends with each emperor as they take and relinquish their throne. "The new era in Japan, Reiwa, means "the beautiful harmony.” It follows the previous era, Heisei, which began on January 8, 1989, the day of the accession to the throne for Emperor Akihito," Noke mentioned. History books in Japan say that the Imperial House of Japan has a history of more than two thousand years, and thus the Imperial Family of Japan is the oldest continuous royal family in today's world, the ambassador said, noting that Emperor Naruhito met with President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi during his official visit to Japan in February and March 2016 when he was crown prince. Japan is preparing for a big and exceptional event, the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo, which begins this July, the ambassador said, "we are warmly waiting for the Egyptian mission that will participate in this Olympics, we wish it good results, and we wish the friendly Egyptian people to follow up this Olympics, which is expected to be an impressive event."
