National Day Reception Celebrating His Majesty the Emperor’s Birthday (February 11, 2026)
The venue featured an ikebana exhibition by the Ikebana International Jordan Chapter, as well as koto performances by Ms. Kuniko Maeshiba of Koto Iris and Mr. Zeid Habjoka. Six Japanese automobiles — Mazda, Isuzu, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Suzuki, and Honda — were displayed, alongside exhibition booths by Japan Tobacco International (JTI), Seiko, Hitachi Energy, and Kikkoman, demonstrating the strong business ties between Japan and Jordan. Guests were also treated to sushi prepared by the Ambassador’s official chef, Mr. Nakamura, as part of Japanese hospitality. Ambassador Asari performed a traditional tea ceremony for honored guests.
In his remarks, Ambassador Asari noted the further deepening of bilateral relations, highlighting, among other developments, the visit of His Majesty King Abdullah II to Japan in November 2025. He emphasized that Japan and Jordan — both nations that value tradition while embracing modern innovation — have nurtured goodwill and friendship for more than seventy years. The Ambassador also stated that Japan recognizes the vital role Jordan plays as an “anchor of stability” and will continue its close cooperation through humanitarian and development assistance in support of Jordan’s modernization efforts.
Full text of Ambassador Asari's remarks
Your Royal Highness Princess Dana Firas,
Your Excellency Dr. Nancy Namrouqa, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs,
Your Excellency Ms. Zeina Toukan, Minister of Planning & International Cooperation,
Your Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thank you, Mrs. Kawamura, for beautifully singing our national anthems.
(The below three sentences were stated in Arabic.)
Good evening. It is my pleasure to welcome all of you to the reception. This is a celebration of the 66th birthday of His Majesty the Emperor.
His Majesty was born on 23 February, 1960.
This is also an occasion to celebrate strong bonds between our two nations.
I would like to reiterate my heartfelt welcome to all of you to our National Day reception, celebrating the 66th birthday of His Majesty the Emperor.
Every year we welcome all of you with exquisitely Japanese hospitality, including Japanese style flower arrangement ikebana and Japanese whisky. In fact, some of my diplomatic friends may be more interested in Hibiki than Hideki----Hibiki being Japanese whisky and Hideki is my name. This year we have something new, the tea ceremony which will be performed after my speech. Tea ceremony is an art embodying Japanese philosophy and has been practiced for centuries.
Both Japan and Jordan cherish traditional values and modern innovation, and nurtured affinity and friendship for more than seven decades.
Last year was particularly a fruitful year for Japan–Jordan relations. We were deeply honored to welcome His Majesty King Abdullah II in Tokyo last November. His Majesty the Emperor hosted a dinner for the King, held in an intimate and private atmosphere that reflected the profound mutual respect between them.
Prime Minister Takaichi on her part warmly welcomed His Majesty at a working dinner which I participated. Both leaders agreed on enhancing cooperation on security and defense, economy and regional issues, among others. The meeting was a clear manifestation our “Strategic Partnership.” It was remarkable that the Royal visit was followed by the visit by the Senate delegation headed by H.E. Faisal Al-Fayez, President of the Senate just two weeks later.
We were also honored to welcome His Royal Highness Crown Prince Hussein to Japan in May on the occasion of Osaka-Kansai EXPO. The Jordan Pavilion, themed “Weaving Possibilities,” was a remarkable success.
To everyone’s wonder, the Jordan Pavilion recreated Wadi Rum Dessert indoor, using 22 tons of real Wadi Rum sand. I was fortunate enough to visit this “Wadi Rum in Japan” and thoroughly enjoyed its beauty and comfort. It is no wonder that the Pavilion ranked first in visitor satisfaction, and received two prestigious Gold Awards from the BIE (International Exposition Bureau).
Our cooperation is also active in the field of defense. Last summer Japan’s then-Defense Minister Mr. Nakatani visited Jordan and warmly received by the Prime Minister/ Defense Minister as well as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. We also had a visit of Japan’s Chief of Joint Staff on the occasion of the evacuation exercise of Japanese nationals in November participated by more than 250 personnel of our Air and Ground Self Defense Forces. Jordan provided a very important operation base for the evacuation of Japanese nationals from Israel and Lebanon, in 2023 and 2024 respectively, and we deeply appreciate Jordan’s cooperation.
Jordan is “an anchor of stability” of this region. Japan appreciates Jordan’s invaluable contributions as a host country for millions of refugees and as a hub for humanitarian aid, particularly for Gaza and Syria. Jordan’s proactive diplomacy and principled leadership continue to make an indispensable contribution to regional peace and stability.
On Palestine, things may be more hopeful than this time last year. In my speech at this very reception last time, I expressed Japan’s hope about the ceasefire and hostage-release agreement. Unfortunately, what ensued was for all to see.
After the devastating humanitarian situation, the Comprehensive Plan, endorsed by the UN Security Council resolution 2803, finally lays out the course of actions the world has to take. In his recent visit to Palestine and Israel, Japanese Foreign Minister Mr. Motegi stated that Japan will play a proactive role through its “Three Pillar Approach to Sustain Peace” consisting of (a) engagement in the governance mechanism of Gaza, (b) Comprehensive support for state-building efforts of Palestine, and (c) expanding the network of assistance through such initiatives as CEAPAD (Conference on Cooperation among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Development). Japan also recently decided to provide additional USD 170 million for assistance to Palestine.
At the same time, the situation in the West Bank is a matter of serious concern, including the unilateral measures such as the expansion of settlement and settler violence, which must be stopped. Foreign Minister Motegi also raised these matters in his recent visit. He also reiterated Japan’s consistent support for two-state solution and expressed his expectation on the progress in the reform of the Palestinian Authority.
Last year, I visited the West Bank and visited the Jericho Agro-Industrial Park—a flagship project under Japan’s “Corridor for Peace and Prosperity” initiative. I do hope that the time will come when regional cooperation among Japan, Palestine, Jordan, and Israel will be conducted again.
Japan and Jordan are important partner in this issue of Palestine as well. We look forward to working with Jordan at this critical juncture.
Recognizing Jordan’s essential role as “an anchor of stability”, Japan continues its close cooperation through humanitarian and development assistance to support Jordan’s modernization efforts. To date Japan has provided over $4.4 billion in economic assistance across wide-ranging sectors. I would like to commend hard work of JICA personnel including its volunteers.
We also look forward to more business collaboration between our two countries. Six Japanese cars, Mazda, Isuzu, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Suzuki, Honda displayed in this reception venue, show the strength of our business relationship. Unfortunately, these cars are not for raffle, but if you are interested in buying one, I can introduce dealers to you.
We also have booths by JTI, Seiko, and Hitachi Energy, showcasing their contributions to Jordan. Also, Kikkoman kindly provided Japanese signature soy souse which goes well with freshly prepared sushi by our Embassy chef, Mr. Nakamura. I am very grateful for the support by the Japanese business community.
I would like to emphasize that our excellent bilateral relationship is underpinned by dedication and efforts in culture, sports, education including Japanese language education, academia and people-to-people exchanges. I would like to express my deep gratitude to organizations and individuals, including Jordan Japan Friendship Association, JICA Alumni Association in Jordan, Jordan Japan Academic Society and Japanese Community Association in Jordan. I would also express my appreciation to our expatriates in the civil society and international organizations.
Before concluding, allow me to briefly introduce other aspects of reception venue.
The beautiful floral arrangements, Ikebana, were generously provided by Ikebana International Jordan Chapter. My sincere appreciation goes to its members, and its founder, Mrs. Hind Sherif Nasser bin Jamil.
We also have booths by the Embassy and JICA, as well as live music performed on the traditional Japanese instrument, the Koto, by Ms. Maeshiba Kuniko and Mr. Zeid Habjoka. Last but not least, I would like to deeply thank my Embassy staff not only for preparing this reception but also supporting Japan-Jordan bilateral relations through their dedication and professionalism.
Thank you, and please enjoy the evening.