A Decade of Building Trust: Moroccan Ambassador Rachad Bouhlal on Life in Japan

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People CultureNippon.comto discuss his many years in Japan, cultural parallels, and the patience required to build lasting relationships in Japanese society.

Rachad Bouhlal has served as Morocco’s ambassador to Japan since 2016, drawing on his economics background from his earlier career in Morocco’s Ministry of Industry and Trade. He reflects on the patience required to build trust in Japan, along with memorable moments such as Japanese schoolchildren singing the Moroccan anthem in Arabic. He also highlights the many parallels between Moroccan and Japanese customs, from shared culinary traditions to cherry blossoms in both countries.

Mohammed Rachad Bouhlal

Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to Japan since 2016. Prior to his posting in Tokyo, he served as Morocco’s ambassador to the United States (2011–16), where he worked to strengthen bilateral political and economic ties. Earlier, he was ambassador to Germany (2004–11) and ambassador to the European Union, Belgium and Luxembourg (1996–99). Throughout his career, Ambassador Bouhlal has worked to strengthen Morocco’s bilateral relations and promote international cooperation across political, economic, and cultural fields.

(Originally written in English based on a June 12, 2026, interview at the Nippon.com office in Tokyo. All images © Nippon.com.)