Kuala lumpur: The Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy by the University of Tsukuba. The award recognizes his significant contributions to education, research, international exchange, and sports.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the conferment ceremony was attended by Tengku Ampuan of Pahang Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, University of Tsukuba president Kyosuke Nagata, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, and Japan's Ambassador to Malaysia Shikata Noriyuki. In his acceptance speech, Al-Sultan Abdullah expressed his gratitude and highlighted the strong ties between Malaysia and Japan, which are exemplified by the University of Tsukuba's Kuala Lumpur campus opening in 2024.

The Sultan recounted discussions with the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2019 about establishing a Malaysian campus, which has now materialized. He emphasized the importance of education in fostering resilient societies and expressed hopes for the continued success of the university and the Malaysia-Japan partnership.

President Nagata commended Al-Sultan Abdullah's leadership during Malaysia's political uncertainty and his role in advancing higher education as Chancellor of several Malaysian universities. Nagata also praised the Sultan's contributions to international football, noting his collaboration with Tsukuba alumnus Kozo Tashima.

The Governing Council of the University of Tsukuba unanimously approved the honorary doctorate in July, acknowledging Al-Sultan Abdullah's support in establishing the university's Malaysian campus.