Former Ambassador of Egypt to Japan Hisham Badr has been decorated by Japan. At a ceremony at the Japanese residence Tuesday night, Ambassador Oka Hiroshi awarded Badr with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star in recognition of his contribution to strengthening relations between the two countries.
Badr has served in Japan as second secretary at the Egyptian Embassy in Tokyo from 1985 until 1990 and ambassador to Japan between 2003 and 2007.
Oka said that Badr’s tenure as Egypt’s ambassador to Japan coincided with the period following the terrorist attacks in the United States in 2001 and Iraq war in 2003, when interest in the Middle East and Islam in Japan was at an all-time high.
“During this period, he made every effort so that the Japanese could better understand the Middle East and Islam,” Oka said.
He added that his book in Japanese entitled The Sphinx and the Japanese Sword published in 2008 was the culmination of these efforts.
“In it he says that the views between Japanese culture and Islam have something in common. This book, which sought to correct prejudice against Islam, attracted attention as a work written by an Egyptian diplomat fluent in Japanese,” Oka added.
His efforts, Oka said, laid the foundation for Japan’s close engagement with Egypt and the Middle East, and thus supported Japan’s active diplomacy in the Middle East from the first decade of the 21th century onwards.
“We are sincerely grateful for his role in bringing Japan, Egypt, and the Middle East together,” Oka said.
Badr has worked to enhance and strengthen the relations between the two countries in a number of pioneering projects, such as the Egyptian-Japanese University of Science and Technology (E-JUST), established in 2010 in Alexandria.
“I would like to congratulate Egypt for this distinguished diplomat, who is a role model for all diplomats regardless of their nationalities,” Oka said.
Founded in 1875, the Order of the Rising Sun is the first national decoration of Japan and is awarded by the Emperor.
Oka told the Egyptian Mail that the Emperor honoured the same award to Ibrahim El-Araby, head of the Egypt-Japan Business Council, and head of the General Federation of Chambers of Commerce. Badr and El-Araby are among ten Arabs who were honoured with this prestigious award this year.
For his part, Ambassador Badr said that during his work at the embassy in Tokyo between 1985 and 1990, he met Emperor Hirohito (1926-1989), the “greatest emperor in the history of modern Japan”.
“Although the meeting lasted a matter of a few minutes, these minutes with a great historical figure who influenced the whole world had a great impact on me, and I still remember them.”
In 2003, Badr added, he presented his credentials to Emperor Akihito, whom he accompanied on a visit to one of the largest exhibitions on Egypt in Japan; the Aichi Expo in 2005.
“I felt from His Majesty, and Empress Michiko, the extent of their interest and the depth of their knowledge of the ancient Egyptian civilisation,” he said.
“Today, with this high honour from Emperor Naruhito, I feel the culmination of my diplomatic career and my close relationship in Japan.”
Badr said that what impressed him in Japan is the depth and richness of its unique culture.
“I felt that the best way to benefit from this culture and methods of education – which was the secret of Japan’s progress and modernisation – is to push with full force to establish the E-JUST, to be a pillar for the transfer of Japanese science and technology to the youth of Egypt and be a ray of light for future generations,” he said.
Badr revealed that Ambassador Oka, who was working at the time as Director-General of the Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, played a vital role in achieving this great achievement, which is unprecedented outside Japan.
“I also had the honour to cooperate with Ambassador Oka to advance the Grand Egyptian Museum project, which was stipulated in an official statement during Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to Egypt in 2007,” Badr added about the mega project which will be open next year.
The two-hour ceremony was attended by a number of current and former ministers, diplomats and MPs.
Minister of Social Solidarity Nivine el-Qabbag told the Mail: “Despite the fact that Ambassador Badr left his tenure as an ambassador to Japan in 2007, Japan didn’t forget his efforts and its emperor honours him today.
“It is a nice gesture from Japan to honour Ambassador Badr and appreciate his efforts,” she said.
El-Qabbag added that Badr is a successful negotiator, with the governments and international bodies and put his prominent fingerprints in every position he held.
“As Egyptians, we all are proud of him,” the minister said.
