Photo courtesy of the Diwan of the Royal Court of the Sultanate of Oman
His Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said with former President Barack Obama, 2016
In Muscat, the Diwan of the Royal Court of the Sultanate of Oman announced that His Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said passed away on the morning of Thursday, March 12, 2026, corresponding to the twenty-second day of Ramadan 1447 AH. He was 82 years old.
His Highness was a senior member of the royal family of Oman and served for decades as Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers, making him one of the longest-serving and most prominent officials in the Sultanate’s modern government.
In its statement, the Diwan of the Royal Court paid tribute to his long life of service to the nation, noting that he devoted decades to the Sultanate with sincerity and dedication during the era widely known in Oman as the Blessed Renaissance, the period of national development that began in 1970.
The Diwan of the Royal Court concluded its announcement with prayers for God’s mercy upon the deceased and extended condolences to his family and loved ones.
Portrait courtesy of Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst (RVD)/Anton Corbijn
Portrait courtesy of Kunaichō (Imperial Household Agency)
Photo courtesy of Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst (RVD
In Den Haag, it was announced that Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands will host an incoming state visit from Their Imperial Majesties Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan in the second half of June 2026.
The Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst (RVD) noted that the visit will reaffirm the longstanding relationship between Japan and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The state visit will focus on cooperation in areas including security, innovation, defense, economic resilience, and international law.
The relations between the two countries date back to 1600, when the Dutch ship De Liefde arrived in Japan. The ship’s pilot, William Adams, later entered the service of the Tokugawa shogunate and became one of the first Western advisers to the shogun.
In 1609, the Dutch East India Company established a trading post in Hirado. After Japan restricted most foreign contact in the seventeenth century, the Dutch remained the only Western traders permitted to operate in the country, relocating their commercial station in 1641 to the island of Dejima in Nagasaki.
Dutch merchants continued to operate from Dejima until 1859, when Japan reopened to international trade at the end of the Tokugawa period. The Dutch presence was maintained in part because their activities were primarily commercial, and they did not pursue missionary work in Japan.
During this period of limited international contact, exchanges between Japanese scholars and Dutch merchants and physicians contributed to the development of Rangaku, through which European scientific and medical knowledge entered Japan.
Modern diplomatic relations continue to reflect this historical connection. In 2000, Their Majesties Emperor Akihito of Japan and Empress Michiko of Japan paid a state visit to the Netherlands, marking the 400th anniversary of relations between the two countries.
In October 2014, Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima paid a state visit to Japan. In October 2019, the King and Queen attended the enthronement ceremonies of Emperor Naruhito in Tokyo. In May 2025, His Majesty King Willem-Alexander visited Japan to attend World Expo 2025 in Osaka.
Relations between the Royal Family of the Netherlands and the Imperial Family of Japan reflect the longstanding diplomatic relationship between the two countries.
The Royal Correspondent 