7/11/2011
Kuwait Embassy donates to Japan Foundation

Kuwaiti Ambassador to Japan Abdulrahman Al-Otaibi donated 500,000 Japanese Yen to the Japan Foundation (Nippon Foundation) for the sake of helping Japanese people who have suffered from the March 11 Earthquake and Tsunami. Kuwaiti Ambassador H.E. Mr. Al-Otaibi received the proposal letter from H.E. Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, the Chairman of the Japan Foundation, that the Foundation requires Embassy’s cooperation and assistance to undertake necessary measures to ensure the expeditious implementation of the projects for the recovery and reconstruction from the outcomes of March 11. H.E. Mr. Al-Otaibi welcomed the proposal and decided to support the Foundation with a check of 500,000 Japanese Yen, a part of the proceeds from the Charity Bazaar, which was organized by the Embassy of the State of Kuwait Japan on May 14th, 2011 at the Embassy in Tokyo. Chairman H.E. Mr. Sasakawa expressed his gratitude to H.E. Mr. Al-Otaibi for his acceptance of the proposal and his generosity to the Japanese people and its community. He highlighted that as the Kuwaiti government decided to donate 5 million barrels of crude oil and to Japan upon directives of H.H. the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Japanese government must make the Kuwaiti donation as visible not only to remember but also to show the Kuwaiti people how the Japanese people appreciated and benefited tremendously from them.
"We were touched by the solidarity extended by the government and the people of Kuwait," H.E. Mr. Sasakawa said. "I appreciate the activities of the Foundation and I sincerely hope that this small amount donation from us will help the projects of the Japan Foundation as well as the needs for suffering people.

The people still have suffered from the scale of the March 11," H.E. Mr. Al-Otaibi expressed his sympathy and pledged the chairman Kuwait's fullest support. H.E. Mr. Al-Otaibi also told H.E. Mr. Sasakawa, "On behalf of the people and the government of Kuwait, I extend my heartfelt condolences to those bereaved as well as my sincere sympathy to all affected by this catastrophe and to their families and friends. And please remember that our hearts are with you, and your friends in Kuwait and all over the world stand by you, as our Japanese friends helped the Kuwaiti people during the Gulf crisis. And this year, Kuwait and Japan celebrates its 50th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations, therefore, we are proud of supporting our friends." The Japan Foundation, a non-profit philanthropic organization, has a sister organization called the Sasakawa Middle East Islam Fund (SMEIF), as part of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, aims to contribute actively as a private foundation to establishing peace in the Middle East and to present the face of Japan in this region.