Bilateral Relations
Kuwait and Japan enjoy strong relations of friendship based on common values. History of the bilateral relations dates back to 1958, when the Amir bestowed the Japanese “Arabian Oil Company” the oil-production rights in Kuwaiti territory. When the State of Kuwait achieved its independence in June 1962, Japan became one of the quickest countries to recognize its sovereignty. In December 1962, Kuwait and Japan established the diplomatic relations.
On February 20, 1962, the Kuwait Embassy was inaugurated in Tokyo followed by the inauguration of the Japanese Embassy in Kuwait City in March 1963. The current building of the Kuwait Embassy in Tokyo was designed by the architect TANGE Kenzo and in operation since 1970.
In August 1990, the ex-Iraqi military began invasion to Kuwait and occupied its sovereign land. Japan immediately showed its full support to Kuwait and offered a financial aid of 12 million US dollars, and sent 6 minesweepers from the Maritime Self-Defense Force to the Arabian Gulf.
The Kuwaiti people and the government never forgot about this warm gesture of Japan for decades after the liberation. In March 2011, the massive destruction caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake struck the Tohoku region, Kuwait sent tankers filled with total 5 million barrels of crude oil, then worth five hundred million US dollars, equivalent to 40 billion yen to Japan. The donation was widely distributed among the disaster-struck areas to assist various projects such as reconstruction of Sanriku Railway in Iwate, establishment of scholarship for medical students in Miyagi, and renovation of National Training Center “J-Village” in Fukushima. Besides, additional 2 million USD to the Japanese Red Cross society and 3 million USD to Aquamarine Fukushima.
These are only a few among numberless episodes that describe how close the bilateral relations are between Kuwait and Japan. Not to mention about the prime political and economic partners, Kuwait and Japan are deeply tied to each other on the bottom of the peoples’ hearts.