Salaam Association | Bridge between Japan and Kuwait

Kuwait seeks true peace

By Ikuzo Kobayashi, President to Salaam Association

From the Spring Issue of the electronic “Salaam Quarterly Bulletin”, No.50, Aug 2024

The 17th Emir Mish’ar al-Ahmad al-Assabah, who was enthroned on December 16, 2023 (from Japan Kwait Association Bulletin No. 245)

On December 16, 2023, in the State of Kuwait, the former Emir Nawwaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jabir Assabarha passed away, and promptly on the same day Mish’al Al-Ahmad Assabarha was sworn in as the 17th Emir and gave his inaugural speech in the Assembly on December 20, 2023.
Since the new emir has been in charge of day-to-day state affairs as the de facto supreme authority for two years, it is expected that the new emir’s appointment will not significantly change Kuwait’s political policies.
On the other hand, Kuwait, 33 years after the Gulf War, shares a border with Iraq and is located next to Iran across the Persian Gulf. Kuwait’s role among the Gulf states leading the Middle East peace process is not small. We have high expectations for Kuwait with its new emir.

External cooperation on the foundation of domestic stability

Like former Emir Nawwah, the new Emir Mish’al is known as a moderate and clean person who is well versed in domestic issues. Kuwait was the first Gulf country to introduce a democratic parliamentary system. The relationship between the executive power of the emir, the cabinet, and ministers and the parliament has always been one of cooperation and confrontation. Therefore, it is difficult to implement centralized political and economic reforms there compared to the case in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in recent years. In his inaugural speech, the new emir spoke of the “importance of responding to the demands of the people” and emphasized a sovereign state system.
One senses that this may be a declaration that the emir himself is responsible for domestic stability until 2030.

Nomination of His Highness Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al Sabah as the new Crown Prince

His Highness Sheikh Sabah Hared, who served as Kuwaiti Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Permanent Representative to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation from 1995 to 1998. (File/KUNA)=Arab News 2024..6.2

The new Emir Mishal nominated His Highness Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al Sabah as Crown Prince on June 2 of this year.
Kuwait has so far nominated its crown prince within a short period of time after the inauguration of the new emir. Even though there is a one-year grace period for nominations under the Constitution, nominations after a six-month vacancy can be said to be late. It is reported that the debate over the nomination has been contentious.
Prince Sabah Khaled was born in 1953 and is 71 years old. He was rather old to be the crown prince as there had been speculation that someone from a younger generation or the son of the new emir will be named as the successor.
After graduating from Kuwait University, Prince Sabah Khaled joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a diplomat, serving in the Permanent Mission of Kuwait to the United Nations from 1982-89 and as Kuwaiti Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 1995-98, where he was a representative to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. He then became a leading diplomat, serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2011-19. Shortly thereafter, he served as Prime Minister for two years.
Emir Mish’al is known as an Emir who highly values the innovative political, economic, and social development by the younger generation in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. However, the Emir believes that the foundation of peace lies in the family of sheikhs (the royal family), and it is believed that he has carefully considered how to avoid power struggles within the family and how to absorb the aspirations of the people for reform. In addition, he may have placed his hopes on the new crown prince, who is well acquainted with the transformation of the Gulf states and the trends of the international community, to create a system that will lead to the transformation and development of Kuwait.

“Kuwait Pavilion” prepared with exceptional ambition for Expo 2025 in Osaka

Outline | EXPO 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo Official Web Site

The Osaka-Kansai Expo is scheduled to be held on April 13, 2025. With only eight months to go before the event, the “Type A” pavilions to be constructed on the expenses from each country among foreign country pavilions of the 161 countries and regions that have pledged to participate in the Expo, are noticeably delayed due to soaring material prices (caused by the soaring cost of importing materials from overseas due to the weak yen).

Against this backdrop, Kuwait held a “Pavilion Overview” presentation at the Peninsula Hotel in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward on March 5.
Welcoming the visitors, Kuwaiti Ambassador to Japan Sami Ghassab Azzamanahn said “Konnichiwa (Good afternoon)”in Japanese, and said “Since the establishment of diplomatic relations with Japan in 1961, Kuwait and Japan have strengthened comprehensive relations in the areas of trade, humanity, and peace. At the Expo, we would like to introduce Kuwait’s cultural heritage and deepen our friendship in the areas of energy, industry, education, science, and in general,” expressing his strong desire to strengthen bilateral relations through the Expo.

Presentation of the Kuwait Pavilion Design

Media Briefing-Q&A: answering media questions after the briefing

Dr. Khaled Mahdi, Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development, continued, “For the 1970 Osaka Expo we expressed Kuwait’s modernization, and for the 2025 Osaka Expo, the maximum area of 3,500 ㎡ is secured for our pavilion site and we will express Kuwait’s past, present, and future under the theme of the “Light of Foresight.” The central core is People.”
Desert Dawn: The central dome space, inspired by the Dome of the Pearl, will recreate a scene of resting in the desert, looking up at the starry sky.
Kuwait Today:Symbiosis of people and nature
Kuwait of the Future: the new Kuwait of 2035 was created using AI. We are designing a human-centered society and aspiring for a true Kuwait,” he explained.

Unveiling of the pavilion model

The model of the pavilion unveiled at the end was designed to resemble a bird spreading its wings in a V-shape (Kuwait’s national emblem is an eagle). It will be a unique and beautiful architectural feature not only inside the pavilion, but also among the pavilions that will line the Expo site.

This year, 2024, marks the 63rd anniversary of Kuwait’s independence and the 33rd anniversary of its liberation from Iraq invasion in the Gulf War. It is hoped that the Kuwait Pavilion at Osaka-Kansai EXPO 2025 will be completed as an attractive architectural work that expresses the feelings of the Kuwaiti nation and its people as they take flight toward peace building.

eSports Spreading to the Middle East

By Tominari Sano, Journalist

“Olympic eSports Games” to be held in Saudi Arabia in 2025

From the Plus Digital website

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to hold the Olympic eSports Games at the IOC General Assembly on July 23. The first games will be held in Saudi Arabia in 2025. The Games will be held every two years.
As the preparation for the event, JeSU (Japan e-Sports Union) announced that it will support the conditioning and training of the Japanese national athletes who will participate in the event in cooperation with related organizations.

The event independently held as “Olympic eSports Games”

Source: Japan eSports Association/Kadokawa Ascii Research Institute, “Japan eSports White Paper 2022.”

Until now, the eSports community has been seeking to hold eSports at the same time as the real Olympics or as an Olympic event. However, it was thought that rather than holding the event at the same time as real sports, it would be better to hold the Olympic eSports as an independent event under the IOC’s umbrella, so that the event could be more unique. In addition, there have been calls for separating the real and e-sports events, which would be more desirable as it would be a clear-cut and more satisfactory way to hold the games.
In the end, the decision to make it an independent tournament can be attributed to the fact that the global eSports market is steadily growing.
According to data published by Statista, the global eSports market is expected to grow to US$1.45 billion (174 billion yen at the exchange rate of 120 yen to the dollar) in 2022, US$1.72 billion (206.4 billion yen at 120 yen to the dollar) in 2023, and US$6.75 billion (810 billion yen at 120 yen to the dollar) by 2030. The average annual growth rate is estimated to be as high as 21.5%.
Incidentally, according to an announcement by JeSU (Japan eSports Union) last December, the size of the Japanese eSports market is estimated to reach 12.5 billion yen in 2022 (127% of the previous year) and exceed 21 billion yen by 2025.

Background of the decision to hold the event in Saudi Arabia

By the way, why was it decided to hold the event in Saudi Arabia?　The market size for eSports is large in the U.S.-based region and in the European region. There are other factors to consider than market size alone. The average age of the population in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries is only 27 years old, and the younger generation is increasingly accessing the Internet and gaming technology. The proliferation of affordable gaming consoles and personal computers has given young Arabs access to competitive gaming, which is a driving force behind the growing interest in eSports.
Saudi Arabia’s young Crown Prince Mohammed is rumored to be a gaming enthusiast, and eSports is playing a role in the country’s Vision 2030, which aims to diversify the economy and promote cultural development, improve the quality of life for citizens, and enhance cultural and entertainment activities. eSports is an important part of that vision. The Saudi Government Public Investment Fund (FIF) has established Savvy Games Group, a wholly owned subsidiary, as a national project and built the foundation.
Investment in eSports, which attracts young people of both genders, is consistent with the goal of domestic socioeconomic innovation. Not only can huge amounts of money be invested in the construction of a venue capable of hosting a world tournament and the accompanying infrastructure, but welcoming spectators from around the world could make this a much larger global event than the FIFA World Cup Qatar Soccer Tournament. It will also open the closed image of the Islamic nation to the rest of the world.

IOC President Thomas Bach said, “By partnering with the Saudi NOC, we also ensured that Olympic values would be respected, particularly in terms of gaming titles on the program, promotion of gender equality, and engagement with youth that embraces eSports.”
　Meanwhile, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, Chairman of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Minister of Sports, said, “Saudi Arabia is very excited at the prospect of partnering with the IOC and entering a whole new era of international sports. We believe that participating in the Olympic Games is one of the highest honors an athlete can achieve. And we are proud to help write a new chapter in Olympic history with the potential to inspire literally millions of athletes around the world to new dreams and new ambitions. （snip）We are committed to staging a special event that honors and celebrates the values of the Olympic Games.”

Starting with the acquisition of ESL, a global sports league operator, the company has acquired the eSports platform FACEIT, and has also invested in leading video game companies. It is a major shareholder in Nintendo, Capcom, Koei Tecmo, Nexon, and Electronic Arts. 96.18% of SNK shares are held by Saudi affiliates. With this groundwork in place, and the government’s major support, a solid foundation has been laid for the tournament’s operation.
Incidentally, the Saudi eSports population is said to be around 21 million (total population: 36.41 million, as of 2022). Saudi Arabia is currently hosting the “eSports World Cup” until August 25. More than 500 teams from around the world are participating, competing in 21 different game titles, and the total prize money is said to be more than $60 million.
The “first ever” eSports Olympics has the potential to ride the wave of globalization more than ever, and it has momentum which is likely to swallow race, human rights, religion, able-bodied and disabled.

Japanese Anime Event in Kuwait

GX2024 will be held in Kuwait, a neighboring country of Saudi Arabia, from November 7 to 9 this fall, marking the 10th year since the GameExpo was held in 2014 under a new guise, with the eSports tournament held previously to support reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. Joseph Arloumy, chairman of the executive committee that runs the tournament, was recently in Japan and I was able to speak with him.

FIKRA

Poster for an eSports tournament held in Kuwait to support Japan after the 3/11 earthquake and tsunami

Fikra was founded in Kuwait in 2010. Fikra means “idea” in Arabic. Based in Kuwait, the company aims at the promotion of creative activities in Kuwait and the Middle East, especially targeting the gaming industry. It aims to make Kuwait internationally recognized as the future center of the gaming industry.
He said that he held a charity event for Japan after the Great East Japan Earthquake, and more than 1,000 people attended the event to show their support. He said that the Japanese Ambassador to Kuwait and other embassy officials also supported the event.
Fikra has laid the groundwork for a sea change in the gaming and eSports sector in the Middle East. With Kuwait’s gaming population exploding and primed for development, Fikra is at the forefront of the future.

Fikra Success Stories (Achievements)

•Hosted the first large-scale live-streaming gaming event in the Middle East with live Arabic commentary.
•Invited some of the world’s most prominent gaming professionals to the Middle East to highlight the Middle East’s gaming scene.
•Built a permanent web platform for registration of gaming events throughout the Middle East.
•Sponsored the first official Final Fantasy orchestra in the Middle East.
•Acquired exclusive demo presentation rights to a new game from an internationally renowned studio.
•Hosted the first Major Fighting Game Tournament in the Middle East.
•Hosted the first Game Expo in Kuwait.

Purpose of visit:
To prepare for the 2024 GameExpo to be held November 9-11

Mr. Joseph is on the far right and the author is on the far left.

Mr. Joseph contacted Japanese game company officials in Kyoto, Tokyo, and other cities. These include prominent game creators such as Hideo Kojima, creator of the Metal Gear Solid series. The Japanese embassy in Kuwait has been cooperative, but it has not been easy to obtain the cooperation of the Kuwaiti government itself.
Once eSports under the banner of the Olympics starts in Saudi Arabia next year, the Arabian Peninsula may be transformed in a big swell, and it may even spread to the entire Middle East. In addition to eSports, Mr. Joseph will also continue to introduce the benefits of Japanese subcultures such as manga and anime.

[Episode on Kuwait’s alcohol situation]

I had heard that alcohol as well as pork is prohibited in Muslim countries, so I asked about the situation of drinking liquors. I found his answers interesting, which I would like to share here. (Please note that I cannot guarantee the reliability of the information.)
Simply put, drinking liquors is not strictly restricted in Kuwait, but buying and selling alcohol is prohibited. So, if alcohol is served with the in-flight meal, it is okay to drink it. So, I asked him if it is all right to bring alcohol at the time of entry into the country. He answered it is not allowed.
Is this information helpful? If you take it seriously and act accordingly, you may be arrested. Be careful. (T)

Salaam Association | Bridge between Japan and Kuwait

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Kuwait seeks true peace

External cooperation on the foundation of domestic stability

Nomination of His Highness Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al Sabah as the new Crown Prince

“Kuwait Pavilion” prepared with exceptional ambition for Expo 2025 in Osaka