JEDDAH: Masayuki Miyamoto, consul general of Japan, held a reception at his residence in Jeddah to celebrate the birthday of Japanese Emperor Naruhito. A number of officials, businessmen and friends from Saudi Arabia, Japan and other countries attended. Naruhito ascended the throne on May 1, 2019, becoming the 126th emperor, Miyamoto said during a speech at the reception. The emperor turned 60 on Feb. 23. Naruhito and the imperial family of Japan shared a close bond of respect with the royal family of Saudi Arabia, Miyamoto said. The consul general referred to the visit by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the Kingdom last month, during which he met King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. They discussed the close cooperation between the two countries to ensure the success of the G20 meetings chaired by the Kingdom. Miyamoto said that Japan and the Kingdom were working together to achieve the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 through the joint group established for this purpose, by which the cooperation between the two countries over more than 60 years in the political, economic, social, cultural and academic fields has further expanded. The consul general said that he hoped relations between the two countries would further develop toward what their leaders and people aspired to.