Messages from the Sea that Reached Japan

Not long ago, Bahrain turned its compass eastward, steering its cultural, economic, and official presence toward the far reaches of Asia. In Osaka, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, graced the celebration of Bahrain’s National Day at Expo 2025 — an event that was more than a ceremony; it was a message sent across oceans.

When one observes a nation with a history as profound as Japan’s and places it alongside Bahrain, a quiet harmony emerges. Both lands are shaped by the currents of tradition and modernity, holding fast to their heritage while boldly stepping into the future. Japan is renowned for its hospitality, discipline, and spirit of tolerance — values that resonate deeply with Bahrain’s own story: a kingdom whose people have, for centuries, welcomed travelers, embraced diversity, and pursued progress with youthful ambition.

Bahrain’s presence in Osaka became a conversation across cultures, a gentle reminder to the Japanese people that Bahrain, too, carries an ancient memory, a proud identity, and a heritage as enduring as the tides. The National Day celebrations were met with warmth and curiosity. To many attendees, Bahrain seemed like a distant mirror — an Arab reflection of an Eastern spirit. It was as if the two nations had once been woven into a single cultural fabric, patiently separated by time and geography, now reunited through the poetry of encounter. The event’s name, “The Meeting of the Seas,” could not have been more fitting.

By attending in person, His Royal Highness offered more than protocol. He delivered a message: history and heritage are bridges between nations, and the shared spirit of Bahrain and Japan deserves celebration.

The journey eastward was not only cultural but economic as well — an opportunity to renew and deepen cooperation with the world’s third-largest economy. Bahrain and Japan’s economic relationship traces back almost a century to June 1934, when the first Bahraini oil shipment set sail from Sitra Port bound for Yokohama. That voyage was more than trade; it was the opening chapter of a partnership that has grown steadily over decades, carried forward by countless ships and countless dreams.

At His Royal Highness’s side stood a distinguished delegation of senior officials and economic leaders, architects of Bahrain’s modern prosperity. Among them were His Highness Shaikh Isa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Court and Chairman of Tamkeen, along with members of the Economic Development Board — the navigators of Bahrain’s economic journey.

Behind the scenes, the quiet craftsmen of this success — the men and women of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, led by Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa — transformed Bahrain’s pavilion into a living vessel, carrying the Kingdom’s history, warmth, and spirit to the distant shores of the East.

In Osaka, Bahrain’s message was clear: the seas that separate us are the same seas that carry us toward one another, and in their meeting, our futures converge.

— Captain Mahmood Al Mahmood, Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Tribune and President of the Arab-African Unity Organisation for Relief, Human Rights and Counterterrorism