On Tuesday, January 17, Governor Koike met with 17 members of the Arab Diplomatic Corps in Tokyo at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

The governor spoke some Arabic as she welcomed the diplomats, expressing her gratitude for the Arab countries’ continued support toward Japan and Tokyo.

The Yemeni Ambassador and Dean of the Arab Diplomatic Corps in Tokyo, Samir Mohamed Khamis, said that having its first female governor means a lot to Tokyo particularly at a time when it is preparing to host such a globally prestigious event as the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020. He added that he greatly admires the governor’s leadership and that the diplomatic corps look forward to working with her to strengthen the cooperative ties between Tokyo and the Arab nations. The ambassador also said that Arab countries hope to learn from Japan’s experience in such fields as education, welfare for the elderly, and development of urban infrastructure including energy and transportation systems.