Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled El-Anany attended on Sunday the first reception party held on the occasion of the birthday of the Japanese Emperor, who ascended to the throne in October 2019.

At the reception held in the Embassy of Japan in Cairo, Japanese ambassador Masaki Noke welcomed an array of ministers including Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait, Minister of Supply and Internal Trade Ali Moselhi, Minister of State for Information Osama Heikal, as well as a number of ambassadors of foreign countries in Egypt.

In his speech, Ambassador Noke thanked his guests for attending the ceremony, specifically the minister of tourism and antiquities, who attended the emperor's inauguration ceremony in Tokyo on behalf of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.

Ambassador Noke pointed out the similarities between the ancient Egyptian civilisation and the coronation ceremony in Japan. He said the sun plays an importance in the spiritual traditions of the Japanese imperial family as it did in ancient Egypt, where Ra, the Sun god, had an important role in the coronation ceremonies of any new king.

"The year 2019 was a year full of historical events that helped develop bilateral relations between Egypt and Japan," the Japanese ambassador said, noting that the current year is also very important as the world awaits two major events, including the Olympic Games in Tokyo, in which the Egyptian football and judo teams will participate.

"As for the second event, it is the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, which is one of the manifestations of cooperation between Egypt and Japan in the field of archaeological work. It is considered a contribution from Japan to the entire civilisation and world heritage," he said, expressing hope that this opening will be an opportunity to develop the everlasting friendship between Egypt and Japan.