Message from Ambassadors

Bahrain,the Pearl of the Gulf
Ahmed Mohamed Yusuf ALDOSERI
Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to Japan
Ambassador Ahmed Aldoseri joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1990, beginning his journey in Bahrain’s international
relations. His first step was being appointed to the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United Nations, where
he served for 8 fruitful years between 1992 and 2000. He was then selected to be the Director of GCC affairs at the Ministryof Foreign Affairs from 2006-2008, before becoming Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany from 2008-2011. After
this successful posting, he was appointed Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium between 2011-2014 and has been
Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to Japan since 2018.

Similar to Japan, the Kingdom of Bahrain is an island
country, comprising a total of 760km2 in the Arabian Gulf.
If compared to Tokyo, it is three times smaller, yet bothhave their big stories to tell. Bahrain’s is one of rich andunique history, dating back to the 3rd millennium BC with
its ancient civilization of Dilmun. From then to this day, ourisland has always been known for its rich cultural diversity
and most importantly its value as a trading point. In moderntimes, Bahrain was the first GCC (Gulf CooperationCouncil) country to diversify its economy towards non-oil
sectors such as financial, services, logistics, tourism, ICT
and manufacturing, and has consolidated its diversification
efforts as part of its national “Economic Vision 2030”.

Our Bond with JapanThe bond that we share with Japan is indeed one of akind. Even though bilateral diplomatic relations wereonly officially established in 1972, Bahrain’s first everproduced oil was shipped to Yokohama in 1934. Goingeven further back in time, both countries have strong links
to the pearl industry, whether traditional pearl diving in
Bahrain or the cultured pearls developed by Kokichi
Mikimoto here in Japan.

engineering centers, 22 sales/service offices and 1
manufacturing center. More than this, with the support ofTamkeen, our labor fund which supports the private sector
and empowers Bahrainis to be the engine of economic
growth, Yokogawa has fostered and employed young
Bahraini talent to execute projects and maintain customers’
assets in the Kingdom.

Bahrain’s Strategic Location
With logistics being a key element of international trade,
Bahrain is ideally situated in the heart of the Gulf, withoutstanding to diverse markets not only in the region but
the rest of the world, with the GCC and MENA markets
containing 54 million and 472 million consumers
respectively. Further, Bahrain benefits from 22 free trade
agreements, including the first ever US FTA with a GCC
member and 41 double taxation avoidance agreements,
giving unparalleled trading potential.

Today, a prime example of Bahrain-Japan economic
relations is the Yokogawa Electric Corporation’s MENA
(Middle East and North Africa) headquarters in theKingdom. As a leading provider of industrial automation,and test and measurement solutions, Yokogawa Middle
East & Africa B.S.C.(c), serves customers across theMiddle East and Africa through 7 affiliate companies, 82022.941

Why Invest in Bahrain?
Bahrain is currently well advanced in diversifying its
economy, with a clear Economic Recovery Plan whichplaces attracting foreign investment and achieving growthin non-oil sectors as top priorities. In doing so, the firstadvantage we point out, in addition to the Kingdom’s
strategic location, is Bahrain’s best value setup andoperating cost, including 100% foreign ownership ofcompanies and 0% corporate tax. For any company
looking to expand internationally, this should play a bigrole in their decision. In 2021, our FDI stock relative toGDP stood at 86% compared to a global average of 47%,
underlining how welcoming the Kingdom is forcompanies looking to expand or set up a regional presence.
Bahrain continues to shift its economic focus away fromoil, and towards sectors such as financial services,industry, telecommunications, IT and the digital economy.
And as I have seen for myself, Japan too is a leading
innovator in these fields, rising to prominence in thefinancial, industrial and IT realms, and establishing itself
as one of the largest and most successful economies in theworld.
From these foundations, I strongly believe that Japan and42

2022.9Bahrain can work closely together to advance our sharedgoals and interests. There is room for us in Bahrain toincorporate what Japan has already contributed in thesefields, and an outstanding opportunity for Japan to expandin our region as we continue to grow this important andflourishing relationship.

お問い合わせJOI 事業企画部

E-mail: bd@joi.or.jp 、TEL:03-5210-3311

EDB Bahrain - Japan OfficeE-mail: edb-event@bahrain-embassy.or.jp
URL: https://www.bahrainedb.com/ja/business-friendly-bahrain
EDB Bahrain は、バーレーン王国で事業を確立しようとする企業・投資家向けの最適な窓口として、円滑な起業を支援いたします。
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