The delegation comprised Salah Al Rayssi, Acting Assistant Undersecretary for the Biodiversity and Marine Life Sector at MOCCAE, and a host of representatives of private sector companies in the UAE.

Speaking on the visit, His Excellency Dr Al Zeyoudi said: “The UAE enjoys deep-rooted economic and environmental ties with Japan. Our visit aimed to build on our strong synergies and identify new opportunities for collaboration in the environmental sector. We also sought to exchange expertise in relevant areas.”

The Minister added: “The UAE strives to boost international cooperation and learn from successful experiences of friendly nations with the aim of ensuring sustainable development across all sectors.”

His Excellency Dr Al Zeyoudi held multiple bilateral meetings with high-level environment officials, in the presence of Khalid Omran Al Ameri, UAE Ambassador to Japan. Among these was a meeting with His Excellency Yoshiaki Harada, Japan’s Minister of the Environment, who reiterated the importance of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Initiative that will elevate the relations between the UAE and Japan to new heights.

The UAE Minister also met with His Excellency Mitsuhiro Miyakoshi, Japan’s Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety, who applauded the strong UAE-Japan relations, and highlighted the UAE’s leading role in supplying natural gas and other energy resources to Japan following the Fukushima earthquake.

His Excellency Dr Al Zeyoudi met with Kohjiro Takano, Japanese Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, who praised the recent measures taken by the UAE to relax the restrictions on all imports from Fukushima.

Furthermore, he met with Saito Ken, Chief Secretary of Japan-UAE Parliamentary Friendship Association, to explore ways to enhance the strategic bilateral relationship.

In his meeting with Yuriko Koike, Governor of Tokyo, His Excellency Dr Al Zeyoudi discussed further boosting bilateral relations through creating investment opportunities in renewables as well as twinning Abu Dhabi and Tokyo.

The agenda included a visit to ‘Techno Farm Keihanna’, the largest automated vertical farm in the world, where His Excellency Dr Al Zeyoudi and delegates from Madar Farms, the UAE-based vertical farming company, gained insights into the latest developments and technologies in vertical farming that significantly accelerates food production.

The delegation also visited Toyosu Fish market, the largest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world, the Institute of Energy and Economics, Japan International Cooperation Agency, a governmental agency that coordinates official development assistance for the government of Japan, and Mebiol, a Tokyo-based technology corporation that invented the sustainable agro-tech concept of using films to cultivate plants and ensure zero wastage of water.

On the sidelines of the visit to Japan, His Excellency Dr Al Zeyoudi attended the second round of the fifth edition of the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour that witnessed athletes from 35 countries competing for the top honor.