GROWING TIES BETWEEN JAPAN AND LIBYA

In a quiet but significant way, political and economic ties between Japan and Libya are starting to grow. Of course, Libya is still ruled by the regime of Muammar Qadhafi, whom the monthly magazine Bungei Shunju once deemed to be a “desert fanatic” (sabaku no kyoshinja) back in 1986. However, in an article written in the Japan Times this month by Koji Kakizawa, the Chairman of the Japan-Libya Friendship Association, this same individual is now described as exercising “powerful and excellent leadership” in that North African country.

Of course, Libya is no more a democracy now than it was in 1986, but one thing has certainly changed: Libya, which formerly tried to challenge US policy in the Arab world, has mellowed its diplomatic opposition to America, and is now willing to go some way as an ally against al-Qaida-style Islamist terrorism. As any close observer should realize, Washington’s dislike of dictatorship tends to quietly melt away when the dictator in question is eager to be a staunch US ally.

Be that as it may, the growing warmth in Washington-Tripoli relations has opened new potential for Tokyo-Tripoli relations as well. Koji Kakizawa is probably a little too exuberant when he states that, “More than six years have passed since the United Nations Security Council lifted its sanctions against Libya. Now is the time for achieving monumental and tangible projects between Japan and Libya.” It may very well be that “tangible” projects are now on the way, but “monumental” projects seem a little farther off.

Recent signs of growing Japan-Libya relations in the past year include the April 2005 visit of Saif al-Islam Qadhafi, the second son of the Libyan leader. The young Qadhafi was able to meet with Prime Minister Koizumi, and to hear of Japan’s appreciation of Libya’s December 2003 decision to abandon all its WMD programs. In June 2005, according to the Japan Times, Senior Vice-Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa became the first high-ranking Japanese official ever to meet directly with Muammar Qadhafi in Tripoli, and even carried an invitation from Prime Minister Koizumi for the Libyan leader to visit Japan sometime in the future. There was also the sending of JETRO and Japan Cooperation Center for the Middle East mission to Libya, looking at environmental and water-related projects. In addition, the “Desert Is Not Silent” art exhibition was held in Tokyo. Finally, Libya set up its own national pavilion at the Aichi Expo, which about 12,000 people visited daily.

It is in this context that an article carried in the Nihon Keizai Shinbun at the beginning of this month should be understood. At least two Japanese oil companies have set up offices in Tripoli and are preparing to make bids on oil field development projects in Libya. In July, Teikoku Oil set up an office, and now subsidiaries of the Nippon Oil Corporation have done the same. For the latter company, this is their first venture into the Arab world.

Of course, it is not certain that these recent moves by Japanese oil companies will actually be crowned with success, but the omens are good. It will be recalled that in August 2004, Washington had encouraged Japan to get involved in Libyan oil as an alternative to the Azadegan oil project in Iran. Also, it seems likely that the Libyans themselves might be interested in diversifying the range of companies that operate in their country.

It is premature to say how far these new Japan-Libya ties may develop, but it is sufficiently clear that the deep freeze in the relationship that characterized most of the 1980s and 1990s has come to an end.

Note: As in the case of Japan’s relations with most Islamic countries, solid research based primarily on primary sources has not yet been done. For anyone who might be interested in looking more closely at Japan-Libyan relations over the past century, the following bibliography may be useful:

Abe, Masao, “Kita-Afurika no Tabi—Ribia, Chunijia, Arujeria, Morokko (Travels in North Africa: Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco),” Ajia, Vol. 11, No. 4, May 1976.

Arab Review, eds., “Ribia-Nihon-Maruta Gyogyo Chosa o Kaishi (Libya, Japan and Malta Begin a Survey on the Fishing Industry),” Arabu Rebyuu, No. 63, November 1972.

Eguchi, Bokuro and Itagaki, Yuzo, eds., Kokan suru Ribia—Chuto to Nihon o Musubu (Responsive Libya—Connecting the Middle East and Japan), Fujiwara Shoten, Tokyo, 1990.

Hayashi, Tatsuhiko, “Gekido no Arabu o Yuku—Ribia (A Trip to the Arab World in Turmoil: Libya),” Arabu Rebyuu, No. 72, September 1973.

Hirashima, Yoshio, “Ribia Sabaku no Hangyakusha-tachi (The Rebels of the Libyan Desert),” Bungei Shunju, Vol. 44, No. 12, December 1966.

Itagaki, Yuzo, “Chuto to Nihon o Musubu Ribia (Libya Connecting the Middle East and Japan),” Ki, Fujiwara Shoten, No. 1, April 1990.

Ito, Masanori, “Ribia Sabaku ni Tobu—Barubo Genshi to no Kaigun Monogatari (Flying in the Libyan Desert: Admiral Balbo and the Naval Story),” Bungei Shunju, Vol. 16, No. 2, February 1938.

Kobori, Iwao, “Rekishi Kiko 4—Ribia de Kangaeru, Shiteki Kenbunsho (Traveling through History 4: Personal Thoughts and Observations in Libya),” Rekishi to Chiri, No. 369, May 1986.

Otao, Hiroji, “Ribiya no Omoide (Memories of Libya),” Kowan, Vol. 51, Nos. 2, 4, February and April 1974.

Shimoyama, Shigeru, “Sabaku no Kyoshinja Kadafi no Jitsuzo (The Reality of the Desert Fanatic Qaddafi),” Bungei Shunju, Vol. 64, No. 6, June 1986.

Sugiyama, Hirotoshi, “Kyofu no Ribia no Gokuchu-ki (A Prison Diary in Fearful Libya),” Bungei Shunju, Vol. 65, No. 3, March 1987.

Sugiyama, Hirotoshi, Kyofu no Ribia Kangoku Dasshutsu-ki—‘Futo Taiho’ sareta Shoshaman no Tsukon no Kiroku (Escape from a Terrible Libyan Prison: The Story of an Unjustly Arrested Businessman), Kobunsha, Tokyo, 1987.

Tomita, Hiroshi, “Eguchi Bokuro, Itagaki Yuzo-hen ‘Kokan suru Ribia—Chuto to Nihon o Musubu’ (Book Review: Bokuro Eguchi and Yuzo Itagaki’s ‘Responsive Libya—Connecting the Middle East and Japan’),” Afurika Kenkyu, No. 38, March 1991.