Arab-Japan Day 2021, virtual event
Habib Al Badawi
Professor at the Lebanese University - Expert in Japanese Studies & International Relations
7:00 a.m., Beirut time, the opening of “Arab-Japan Day 2021”, organized by the Council of Arab Ambassadors and Heads of Missions in Japan, I was happy, thrilled, and motivated.
Yesterday afternoon, I received an invitation to attend this important platform. Surely I felt deeply honored, also it was a big responsibility because choosing me meant that I should be the sound of the Arab academic society during this predominant event.
I set the alarm at 6:30 a.m., but I woke up earlier at 5: 27, obviously, this was my "call". Since 2005 my ambition was to build strong cultural, economic, and political cooperation between the Arab nation and Beloved Nippon.
Minutes after Joining I received the most encouraging message from H.E. Ms. Lina Annab, Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, this was the perfect start.
As usual, I was taking my own coded notes, preparing my intervention, and that what happened during the first session.
At the second session, the discussion was focused on Africa, therefore, I prepared my questions focusing on the Arabs of Asia, but since most of the ambassadors gave their approaches, with mentioning that H.E. Minister of Defense (防衛大臣, Bōei Daijin) was observing the session ... the time runout.
My second question was:
"Japanese car factories have 35 main production facilities in 23 countries and 133 distributors in 192 countries, will be there in the future an industrial collaboration with the Gulf states to open such factories in the Arab region, where we have the capital from the Arabs of Asia and the talented workforce from the Arabs of Africa?"
This is my approach to make a strong alliance between our two Eastern nations because Japan is the model of modernization to us, in our tough path towards a bright future for our young generations.
"Together we can make the difference."
From Beirut, Dr. Habib AlBadawi