RI, Japan Celebrate 79Th Birthday Of Emperor Akihito

Jakarta, Dec 12 (ANTARA) - The Japanese Embassy in Indonesia has celebrated the 79th birthday of Emperor Akihito, who was born on December 23, 1933. "The celebration party was meant to convey our best wishes to His Majesty Emperor Akihito on his birthday," Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Yoshinori Katori said at Mulia Hotel in Jakarta on Tuesday night. "The celebration also marked the beginning of several events to commemorate the 55th anniversary of Japan-Indonesia relationship next year, in 2013," he noted. "We do hope the relationship and partnership between the two countries get stronger with time," Katori stated. �The year 2012 is a year for reflection, because Japan went through a lot of problems and had to work very hard to overcome them,� he pointed out. "Our partnership with Indonesia has helped us get through those problems," Katori said. Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister for People�s Welfare Agung Laksono, on behalf of the Indonesian government, expressed appreciation for the long-standing partnership between the two countries. "The Indonesian government is extremely grateful for this partnership," he said. Laksono noted that Emperor Akihito had played an important role in strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries. "I wish happy birthday to His Majesty Emperor Akihito. May he live long and prosper more," he said. Besides Katori and Laksono, the Ambassador of Japan for ASEAN, Kimihiro Ishikane, also attended the party. The celebration party was held alongside a tourism exhibition that featured six Japanese prefectures � Gifu, Aoyama, Kumamoto, Shizuoka, Tokyo, and Kyoto.