Newsletter No. 256
April 30, 2006

 

TIES WITH THE MIDDLE EAST

In November-December 2005, the Nihon Keizai Shinbun ran a 19-part series in its evening edition focusing on Japan’s technical and cultural cooperation with Muslim countries in West Asia and Israel. Specifically featured were cases from Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates. Some of these little vignettes contain useful information, especially about the activities of Japanese NGOs in the region. Also, two current Shingetsu members, Akifumi Ikeda and Ben-Ami Shillony, were quoted in this series.

The Shingetsu Institute has been planning to translate this series for several months, but was delayed by other tasks. Now we can at last provide a full English translation of this interesting newspaper series from late last year.

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TIES WITH THE MIDDLE EAST
By Toshihiro Nakanishi

PART I -- GREENING THE DRY LAND: WORKING HARD TO TEACH IRRIGATION TECHNIQUES

Syria, which is located near the Mediterranean coast, has many forests, and we can feel moisture while viewing rolling water mills. But in fact, the depletion of underground water resources is becoming a problem.

Hiroyasu Onuma (53) has worked to teach agriculture in this dry country since 1993. He runs a consulting company for dry land agriculture in Machida, Tokyo. As a specialist of JICA, he has experienced work in Syria for a total of three years. He goes there twice a year now.

The decrease in underground water has been remarkable, especially recently. Near Damascus, there are many grapevines whose leaves have already died. They died because they have drawn too much underground water.

It is not enough to control water and irrigate in Syria. Little water is a problem, but too much water can also be a problem.

When we go to the Euphrates river valley, all the fields are white. It is not snow, but rather salt which has melted in water coming out from the ground, and then settled. This is caused by too much water from sprinklers. If left like this, the soil will become worse.

He advised the farmers, “It is a waste to water for over three hours; one hour is enough.”

Onuma teaches the technicians of the government irrigation office. He teaches them how to measure and manage water resources, and the technicians who have learned the techniques then teach them to the farmers.

At first, he felt the ‘dependence on aid’ attitude of the workers who take charge of irrigation. They said, “The Japanese have come here to do this project!”

He didn’t like the way they were talking, and so he discussed it with them at dinner one night. “The subject must be Syria. You and your children will be in trouble if the water resources dry up.” If we speak the truth clearly, attitudes can be changed, but anyway we need to be patient.

Onuma majored in Agriculture at Shizuoka University, where investigations about growing vegetables in sandy land are many. From the 1970s, for twelve years, he was involved in tree-planting projects and the teaching of growing vegetables in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

In the 1980s, he engaged in a project for two years that planted over a hundred thousand trees in Dubai. As a field overseer, he considered the 200 workers’ vocations, and he directed them. It was a valuable experience to learn about the roles of organizations and individuals.

In Syria, if Onuma saw a worker who was having trouble with the irrigation agency, he would say, “I’ll go with you,” and they would visit the related offices together. Through working with Onuma on many such occasions, workers would realize the importance of pulling strings. Although the role of Onuma is teaching techniques, learning these techniques finally leads to self-awareness.

“If each of them does not understand their role in the organization, we cannot get to the goal.” Onuma, who speaks calmly, is going to return at the end of November (2005) as his second visit this year.

PART II -- PROMOTE MANUFACTURING EXPORTS: RESPECT THEIR AUTONOMY EVEN IF IT TAKES TIME

In the capital city of Egypt, Cairo, there is a Japanese specialist who works to expand Egyptian exports, involving the government and citizens. He is the former director of JETRO (Japanese External Trade Organization), Hiroyuki Wakabayashi (62). He became a Senior Counselor of the Egyptian Ministry of Trade.

Egyptian people have long respected and envied Japan, which had grown up as an economic power through exports after the defeat of World War II.

Can they adopt the Japanese techniques? JETRO has been coming up with frameworks to remodel the efforts to promote Egyptian exports.

Egyptians are friendly, but on the other hand they are self-respecting. They often insist on their own opinions strongly without any order. “Each institution insists on its own opinion, and they cannot cooperate with each other,” Wakabayashi says.

Without making careful plans, they just hold product exhibitions in whatever way they want. They do not exchange opinions with the world of trade, and they do not grasp the reality of private businesses. Wakabayashi reported the fact that each institution just tries to protect its own interest. There is much room for reform.

The Minister of Trade, Rashid, has been the President of Unilever in the Middle East, and can think rationally. Another Senior Councilor, Nagi Faiyumi (61), is also from a private company, and they agreed how to decrease this futility, which has been continuing since the time of the Nasser Administration and its Socialism.

They started to reorganize the Export Promotion Center, which is a key institution. They removed 120 people and started to examine the applicants in order to employ only 30 to 40 people.

Wakabayashi worked as a leader, and they vastly changed the divisions of responsibility and strategies so that they could realize an increase of exports. Under a directive of the Export Promotion Center, they ordered into being a system in which the other institutions take charge of supplying data to private companies, and hold systematic events.

They sent some former company men and architects from Japan from the field of furniture and stonework, which Egypt wants to prioritize. They tell the producers about the trends of the market and Japanese consumer preferences; promote design improvements and quality control; and aim to transform the export industry from simply the stage of making materials.

A specialist who visits the three cities, Cairo, the north part of Alexandria, and Damietta, evaluates positively the quality of European-style classical furniture and sculpture: “It’s higher than I expected.”

For a good opportunity, it was decided that fifteen Egyptian companies would take part in an International Furniture Fair which will be held in Tokyo at the end of November 2005. This new vision may lead to an exchange among people and progress for these projects.

Wakabayashi said, “We are looking for those Egyptians who can plan and act on behalf of the projects themselves even if it takes time.” The Arab World is very friendly to Japan, which has never occupied or planted a colony in the Middle East.

“The difference with Western aid is that Japan considers how to keep the techniques going even after the Japanese consultants leave.” Wakabayashi’s partner, Nagi’s, words suggest how Egypt maintains great expectations for Japanese support in the Middle East.

PART III -- AIM FOR A STABLE NATION: SUPPORT IRAQ THROUGH THIRD COUNTRIES

In Iraq, as the political situation is still unstable, they are acting to form a nation through such activities as the establishment of constitution. In the neighboring country Jordan, at an office of JICA, Hiroyuki Mori (45) works with the head office in Tokyo and the staff in Iraq every day.

There they support fields such as medical treatment, water service, power plant service, and the preservation of antiquities. In the field of medical treatment, they adopted an interesting way to support Iraq: They invited Iraqi doctors and nurses to the University of Cairo and held lectures on medical techniques.

JICA has sent Japanese doctors to the University of Cairo for over ten years and taught medical techniques. It is better for Egyptians who learned these techniques from Japan to teach the Iraqi people, who are the same Arabs and speak the same language. The Japanese government and JICA contribute through planning and money.

In Egypt, there are many who have demanded to help the Iraqi people, and they accepted this plan.

This medical project, in which three countries are involved, started in March 2004. In terms of a few months to a half year, 100 to 120 Iraqi doctors and nurses take part in the seminar. A total of 450 people have taken part so far.

People who have taken part in this program, such as Mr. Mori, saw the ‘inclination to be scared’ in Iraqi society for the first time. Iraqi people couldn’t get along with their surroundings. They didn’t answer very much even when asked their opinion. Mori thought it was strange, and asked why. They answered: “If we say something careless, we don’t know what will happen to us in Iraq.”

The old Husain Administration used to punish the anti-government opposition for giving information about the Iraqi people. Even if it has now changed, there are still wounds in the peoples’ minds. The reserved attitude of the doctors who took part in the program demonstrated it.

Seeing the appearance of workers becoming more active as they gain experience, Mori feels that the originally positive deposition of Iraqis, and their confidence, has recovered. Japan’s policy of support to Iraq has amounted to 350 billion yen in yen-loans, and 150 billion yen as grant aid. In addition to the technical cooperation -- in which over one thousand Iraqi people have taken part -- Japan supplies ambulances, police cars, machinery and material for hospitals, and mobile transformer equipment.

In a political situation with terrorism and daily assaults, construction companies and consultants cannot enter the country freely, and it has caused delays in reconstruction.

“But we should contribute in training the people patiently, rather than just looking and waiting.” A staff member who works for Iraq in Tokyo, such as the predecessor of Mr. Mori, Hisatoshi Okubo (48), speaks in this way.

In Iraq, the leadership of each government department changes as often as the administration changes -- from the provisional government to the transitional governments. Even if they have excellent talents, people are not appointed who had important or high positions in the old Husain administration. As they are experiencing many difficulties, Japan works to support Iraq.

PART IV -- EXPAND MECHANICAL KNOWLEDGE AND LOGIC: TECHNICAL EDUCATION TO IMPROVE EMPLOYMENT DIFFICULTIES

Why don’t you teach automobile maintenance techniques in Saudi Arabia? Hideo Goto (63), who has retired from Toyota and was enjoying his life, was asked by JAMA (Japan Automobile Manufacturers’ Association) through Toyota.

“It would be important work to pass on my experience to foreign young people, since I was in this business since my twenties.”

He thought about this, and accepted, and so he took up his new post as a specialist of JICA in March 2002. Saudi Arabia offers the land of Red Sea and Jedda, and JAMA offers the machinery and materials. They worked to prepare with nine Japanese automobile makers participating in the management, and they opened a training institution and accepted their first students.

Goto refers to the Japanese national maintenance test and devised five kinds of curriculum, including those regarding engines, chassis and electrical systems. He made a curriculum in which the students can learn both basic techniques and applied techniques.

The Saudi Arabian students who learn from Goto consist of about four hundred people, and all the classes are in English. The 18 to 21 year-old Saudi Arabian students learn from the techniques and the language course at the same time.

Generally, it is said that Saudi Arabians prefer to be the ownership class of companies or organizations, and dislike working hard. But in fact, the people who like automobiles do not make a fuss -- they work hard if they are told to clean something.

In Saudi Arabia, which has an employment problem caused by a large increase of population, is trying to shift practical employment from foreigners to Saudi Arabians. The Japanese support, which tries to train the young people as technicians, is in line with this policy.

“There are not many Saudi Arabians working in the technical fields, but this will change if our students take high posts.” Goto has high hopes for the young people.

For four years after 1998, Akira Baba (68), who has taught the maintenance of power plant machines and materials in Syria, felt the difficulty of the practice of the rational way of thinking.

“It is needed to think and organize strictly when we are using machines in power plants. But there are some differences between what strictness means to Japanese and what it means to Syrians. We should not interfere too much.”

Soichiro Murata (63), who has just come back from Syria, has experienced keeping his colleagues back who got angry and said ‘I’ll go back to Japan!’ because they could not do well even when they came to teach the techniques full of strong will. “In this country of ancient civilization, Syria, they seem not to change the way they have been since many thousands of years ago. We also need to adapt to it.”

This is what we first noticed when we are in that place: When Baba tried to gather the researchers from each national power plant in Syria for training, he met with opposition. They insisted that it would affect their household budget if they stopped doing their side jobs, such as winding coil for motors and repairing electrical appliances. The salary of their main job is low. Baba negotiated with Syrian government, and they decided to pay a special ‘compensation’ to researchers.

The workers in the forefront of aid-giving must react to the original situations and circumstances of each country, in order to pass on Japanese techniques.

PART V -- EGYPTIAN VEGETABLES: LEARNING QUALITY CONTROL FROM JAPAN

Imad Said (41) visits a factory in Shizuoka once a week to check the quality of processed vegetables and check the shipments of his own food company. In a factory surrounded by forest near Mt. Fuji, they process Egyptian onions and potatoes, and there are machines which cut and make them into same size.

“My fault would be Egypt’s fault.” As hygiene maintenance is becoming strict because of the problem of O157, Imad is very careful about maintaining the quality. He made a small room where there is a machine which removes dust and hair from work clothes before the workers enter the workroom. He tells the employees that ‘Clean is best’ in Japanese.

It was 11 years ago when he established Nile International. The sales in 2000 were 430 million yen, but it has increased to about three times that figure in the last four years. Imad is sure that it will grow even more in 2005.

He imports vegetables which were grown on his own Egyptian farm, and then processes and ships them to food makers. They are used in frozen foods, snacks, and drinks by the majors. He also makes meat sauce and curry for supermarkets.

Egypt is a very hot country. Imad says that the heat wave is an advantage for growing fruits and vegetables: “The hot temperature evaporates water and the vegetables are condensed, so they have original flavor and sweetness.” Especially the onions are special.

The amount of Egyptian dry onions imported to Japan is 740 tons a year. The ratio of the whole amount of imports was under 1% in the middle of the 1990s, but it has now expanded to 15%. After American and Chinese onions, Egyptian onions hold the third place. All of these onions are from Imad’s company.

When he established the company, the food makers seemed not to be interested in Egyptian vegetables very much. But he visited them with Japanese employees, and finally he made contracts with 229 companies. Imad thinks their quality and zeal made the business successful.

He has lived in Japan because his father had once worked in the Egyptian Embassy in Japan. After he graduated from an architectural course in an Egyptian university in 1989, and then received training from the Shimizu Construction Company, he thought that he wanted to own a business in Japan. As he was trained in construction to understand that he could not make a mistake of even one millimeter, he was aware of the strict ways of the Japanese. At the same time, his seniors and colleagues were very friendly, inviting him to home parties.

Working as a designer in another construction company, he felt, “I want to do something to work as a go-between of this country and Egypt.” So he started own business. The name of the company near Mt. Fuji is “Nile Delta Shizuoka.” He hopes that their products will contribute to the relationship of Japan and Egypt like the delta of the Nile River which brought rich life.

PART VI -- PEACE FOR LIFE: SUPPORTING THE IDEA OF ‘GIVING UP MILITARY FORCE’

Tatsuo Arima (72) became the courier for Middle East peace in June 2002. He has experienced many things working for peace since then.

Below the Palestinian Authority president, they made a premiership as well. Mahmud Abbas, who insists on giving up force, assumed that position officially. However, President Yasir Arafat did not renounce using his security organizations. For Yasir Arafat, who has survived many political struggles, both force and information are very important.

On the other hand, Abbas thought that it was impossible to reform under the influence of Arafat. In September 2003, he revealed his intention to resign because of the conflict in their opinions. Arima knew it, and he called Abbas and tried to persuade him to change his decision, but he did not accept this.

“I have to do something about it.” Arima contacted the Egyptian Foreign Minister Maahel, who had close relations with the Palestinian leadership class, and tried to persuade Abbas and the related countries together. But Maahel spoke in the mournful voice on the phone: “It’s too late.” Arima also knew of Abbas’ firm intention, and had to give up.

In November 2004, Arafat, who went to Paris for treatment because of the worsening of his condition, died there. Through the election in the self-governing area in January this year, a new system has started, and Abbas became the new president.

Arima has felt the importance of supporting Abbas, who makes a point of talking, after Arafat who was a “guerilla-type leader.” The result depends on whether they can lead Palestine to stability.

They need great courage to declare giving up force in Palestine, where it has been said to be an obligation for a long time. “How much courage does he have under his calm face?” Arima thought like that as he often met Abbas. He worked with the U.S. and Israel to support his administration.

The connection between Arima and the Middle East goes back to when he was included in the drafting of former Chief Cabinet Secretary Susumu Nikaido’s statement during the Fourth Middle Eastern War in 1973. The statement was clear about the need for the withdrawal of Israel from the whole occupied region, and it became the basis of Japanese peace policy for the Middle East. Arima has worked as the head of the North America Division at the Japanese Foreign Ministry and as the Japanese Ambassador to Germany. He has related well to the Western world, but now he has returned to work for Middle East diplomacy.

In August, the Israeli Sharon administration withdrew from Gaza after an interval of 38 years. The important priority is to support development and settle the political situation in the Gaza area. At this time, the Japanese government decided to contribute 50 million yen for restoring roads and constructing sewers as one support for Palestine. This comes from the 100 million yen amount that was promised earlier.

This is diplomatic and economic support for Palestine. Japanese support for the Middle East has entered an important phase.

PART VII -- WORKING FOR PEACE IN THE BACKGROUND: EXCHANGING OPINIONS AND BUILDING TRUST

The Japanese government invited Israeli and Palestinian politicians, and held conferences in order to produce mutual trust in 2003 and 2004. After the Iraq War in 2003, even though there were some efforts to restart the peace process, acts of terrorism occurred one after another. Palestinians grimly watched the Israeli Sharon administration, which was known for its hawkishness.

In the first year, the Foreign Ministry and some university professors passed on inviting the main Israeli political figures, and simply invited the former Minister of Justice, Yossi Beilin, who was one of the leaders of an opposition party, and from the more dovish side. From the Palestinian side, the Minister of Cabinet Affairs Abed Rabbo joined.

That first time, it was held at the Japanese government’s common chamber in Tokyo. But they avoided making any official declarations so that each side could speak freely.

“They would care about each period and comma too much to achieve any clear discussion,” recalled Nihon University Professor Kohei Hashimoto. The intention of the meetings is to exchange opinions and to build trust among the participants in the conflict.

They held the event at a hotel in Hakone in the second year. Japan tried to produce a calm atmosphere so as to get at their real intentions. Japan also selected a different kind of Israeli. Japan invited Mr. Meridor, who was a former finance minister who exited from the rightwing Likud and created a centrist party. Japan hoped that they who were ‘hawks not far from the doves’ might bring a result from Sharon.

The discussion was much more heated than in the first year. They got heated about whether Israel should withdraw first or Palestinians should stop terrorism first. The Japanese participants tried not to let the discussion to come to a deadlock, and to find points in common between both sides. But when the Israeli side observed that Palestinian textbooks had some offensive sections, both sides pointed fingers at each other.

Finally they agreed to stop exercising violence and to restart peace talks, and both sides, Israel and Palestine, expressed their thanks to Japan. They also asked Japan to continue its support. The lead researcher of the Middle East Institute of Japan, Isamu Nakajima (52), said that he felt, “Even when they sometimes make dangerous jokes which could hurt each others’ feelings, they still made a strange connection.”

In 2005, the Abbas administration was established on the Palestinian side, and Israel withdrew from the Gaza settlements. The Japanese Foreign Ministry is watching the situation and is considering how to expand the conference into such fields as environmental problems and sightseeing.

National Defense University Professor Ryoji Tateyama (58), who took part in the conference, suggests “making a cabinet-level steering committee and some working sectional meetings to discuss the ways to cooperate under the full committee,” and he insists on the importance of constructing a framework. Toyo Eiwa University Professor Akifumi Ikeda (50) said that “there is already the foundation through the past support.” The question is how Japan can build upon this foundation.

PART VIII -- INCREASING THE SUPPORTERS OF JAPAN: A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ARABS THROUGH WESTERN COUNTRIES

The designer Hanae Mori is impressed with the “original beauty” of the Arabian women; their beautiful eyes and shining skins under the veils. Veiling their faces and bodies make a mysterious beauty, which is a little similar to old Japanese culture.

Mori, who has been active in Paris, had orders for haute couture from the royal families in the Persian Gulf states, who often visit Europe.

Women in the Gulf states often order two clothes of the same design. One length is shorter and the other length is longer. In Saudi Arabia, as the strict Islamic country, women need to hide everything above their knees. They make their clothes for wearing inside the country and outside the country. When they make the clothes, the designers also have to be women. That’s why they choose Hanae Mori.

After the 1970s, she held fashion shows with models in the Gulf states such as Kuwait, UAE, and Egypt. She has held such a show four times in Egypt.

She met Egyptian President Mubarak and his wife in the White House. At the beginning of the 1980s, she was invited to a dinner in which President Reagan had invited Mubarak as the guest of honor. Mori had known Nancy Reagan since the time when President Reagan was the governor of California. She was told, “We don’t have many Japanese friends…” when talking with Mubarak and his wife at the dinner. They have since started a friendship.

Mori, who has been active in New York and Paris, has cultivated relationships with Arabs through Western countries. In fall 2003, Mori visited Saudi Arabia as a member of a dialogue mission on Middle Eastern cultural exchange sponsored by the Foreign Ministry. In Western countries, there are criticisms against Saudi society such as, ‘They do not grant women’s rights,’ or ‘It’s a closed society.’ Anyway, Mori felt that she wanted to appreciate their traditional beauty. Mori pointed out the importance of being proud of one’s own country and ethnicity in her talk there. She cared not to insist on more, and explained her own experience as an example. “Each of us has our own nationality, but we also need to have values that benefit the world.” The reporters who came from neighboring countries were also very interested in what she said, and they tried to interview her the next day.

On that next day, a man came to talk to her. At first, he looked suspicious, but then he spoke Japanese very well. As she listened to him, she knew that he had studied in Japan and had a clear vision for the friendship of both countries. They sat down and continued to talk.

Mori has worked in Paris for 27 years and in New York for 10 years. Through her ample experience, she thinks “Japan does not have enough oil resources and diamonds, but Japan has techniques which they have passed on for generations. This may be called ‘the power of people’.”

We should create more homestay programs for foreign people, and more exchange programs. As international relations are becoming more difficult, Mori thinks that creating ‘supporters of Japan’ will redound to the benefit of Japan.

PART IX -- THE SPIRIT OF COEXISTENCE: RESPECT AND UNDERSTANDING SHOWN THROUGH JUDO

The world championship of Judo was held in Cairo in September. Japanese athletes received eleven medals, which were the most that Japanese had ever won. Judo gold medalist and Tokai University Professor Yasuhiro Yamashita (48) took this opportunity and met his old Egyptian rival Rashwan again.

They had met before at the Finals of the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984, and finally Yamashita won. Though Rashwan was told to attack Yamashita’s right leg which was hurt, he said ‘I have pride as an Arab. I cannot do that,’ and he played fair.

They invited three hundred Egyptian kids and they taught Judo. Rashwan recalled the time when he met a great teacher and he was taught by him. He said, “I could not be a Judoist without Japan.” The young Judoka listened to their hero eagerly. The time passed quickly.

Yamashita emphasized the notion that their reunion did not only renew their old friendship, but also that ‘the gold medalist and the silver medalist could give dreams to the kids.’

In the Middle East, Japanese martial arts, especially Judo, is popular. Judo which is ‘Gudo’ in the Egyptian dialect, is a symbol of strength for the young people. Blackbelts (the rank holders) are respected very much.

When Yamashita trains someone, he seems to focus on telling them the importance of heart. To do that, he has to demonstrate his own attitude and actions. Some Japanese who teach Judo seem to teach haughtily. “The attitude that we are always in the lead could make us miss some important things,” noted Yamashita.

Yamashita considers Jigoro Kano’s spirit of “living together” as the basis of international exchange. Kano created Judo and worked hard for Japan’s original participation in the Olympics as an international Olympic committee member.

In the Islamic world, they respect only Allah truly. However, the young people bow earnestly in the Judo ashrams. Yamashita thinks they really understand the importance of respecting others.

In addition to teaching in Cairo, Yamashita donated Judo outfits and tatami mats to the Iraqi people with the cooperation of the All Japan Judo Federation and the Japanese Foreign Ministry, as one kind of contribution to Iraq.

Besides the Middle East, he met Russian President Putin, who was a blackbelt, and was also included in an exchange event in December that invited children to Japan from North Ossetia.

There are many people who love Japan among the Middle East Judoka. They try to understand the views and cultures of others. They do not behave haughtily and aim for living together. Though sometimes difficult, support through sports could be a treasure for Japan.

PART X -- WRITING TANKA ABOUT THE LAND OF SAND: EXPRESSING NATIONAL DIFFERENCES THROUGH TANKA

Osamu Mitsui (51) continues to write tanka working at the Iraq group of the JIME Center.

He started to write tanka when he was 35 years old. As a tanka poet, he does not have much of a career. He felt he did not want to do the same thing, as his father also liked tanka. After his father became sick, he learned the meaning of tanka, and he also came to enjoy it.

Mitsui went to many Middle Eastern cities in Lebanon, Iran and Bahrain as an employee of Mitsui & Co. He expresses the scenes of the Middle East, which he has known through his work in the firm since the 1970s, through tanka. In 1993, he won the Modern Poet Association Award, which is the counterpart of Akutagawa Award for tanka poets.

When he resided in Bahrain, he read a tanka poem book again and again at home after work, and he was absorbed in writing tanka about his experience of the Arab world. For over twenty years he has written tanka about the Middle East: “In my mind, the Middle East and tanka are strongly related and cannot be separated. If I did not go to the Middle East, I would not write tanka now.”

After Ramadan
There is a fine moon shining
It cannot be reflected in a water of the pool

Under the chador
The eyes of a girl are pure
I met her in Tehran

Some tanka are about daily lives, which a different culture from Japan. In some tanka he wrote about the aspect the political conflict which still continues.

The restaurant in Beirut
Was also bombed
As the stronghold of the militia

There are some other tanka poets who write about foreign countries. Nowadays it is becoming popular among bank workers and wives who have been to Europe. In the past, Mokichi Saito had also written about the Middle East. Around 1920, when he was on the way to Europe, he called at Egypt and felt the atmosphere of the Middle East. A poem of Mokichi begins:

There are martial tents lining
And planes flying over
The great desert

This expresses his impression of the religion of Islam when he saw the inside of a Pyramid and crossed the Nile River in Egypt under the authority of the British forces. Mr. Mitsui supposes that Mokichi, who came from a Japan which has four beautiful seasons, might have felt that he had to write tanka due to the differences with his own country.

One time, a tanka fan told him, ‘I heard the name of this Middle Eastern town in your tanka for the first time.’ The Middle East and Japan are quite far from each other. After eighty years since the trip of Mokichi, Mitsui, who writes tanka about the Middle East, thinks that his tankas will help many people to understand this region.

PART XI -- TOWARDS RECOVERY: HUMANITARIAN SUPPORT ACROSS THE BARRIERS OF CULTURE

Cyril Cappai is a member of a Japanese NGO called JEN. After the Iraq War, he went to Iraq to engage in humanitarian support with the Japanese members of the group.

JEN conducted a survey after the fall of the Husain administration in April 2004, and then gave emergency medical support in the refugee camps on the border of the neighboring country Jordan in June.

In Iraq, the literacy rate of men is 56%, and the rate for women is 24%. Due to the influence of the long-term economic sanctions and the war, drains are broken and the waste creates a bad influence on health. They need support for education and for infrastructure.

To solve these problems, Cappai and other members worked to support their daily lives in matters such as repairing the sewers and reconstructing the schools. They have rehabilitated over 40 schools.

Cappai is from France. After he gained experience in humanitarian supports in Bosnia-Herzegovina working for the United Nations, he participated in JEN and has worked for humanitarian support on the front lines.

Many NGOs in the countries which need support are Western organizations. In regard to them, he had the idea that, “For the countries which need support, it is better if they can choose the kinds of support. Asian organizations should also take part in this.”

He has been the Director of Foreign Operations in the secretariat that controls international activities at the head office in Tokyo since September, and he works as the leader in such missions as visiting Pakistan in October and November, because of the big earthquake there.

Because of the increase of cases in which foreigners are attacked by terrorism in Iraq, they hired guards and put steel grills on their windows. Due to suicide bombings near their houses, they sealed the windows. They recalled that “it was like being in jail.”

At first, he was confused about working among Japanese workers. They said that his ideas were good, but as he listened to the discussions, he knew his ideas were not going to be adopted. Though Cappai already had some knowledge of Japanese ambiguous expressions, he has now become used to the alien culture.

Some Arabs whom Cappai met during Iraqi support tried to postpone their work, so it was very hard to encourage them. He works inside an organization of a different culture and supports countries of a different culture too. Not everyone can do such a thing.

But he is supported by his wife, Kumiko Akahori, and by other JEN members. He is able to generate smiles from children in run-down classrooms. Cappai works through the Middle East, Europe, and Asia.

PART XII -- EXPANDING EARTHQUAKE-PROOF ARCHITECTURE: WORKING TO REVIVE TRADITIONAL METHODS OF CONSTRUCTION

Hiroshi Imai (38) works to popularize earthquake-proof architecture in Iran as a member of the NGO Peace Winds Japan. They had a big earthquake in the northern part of Iran, Bam, at the end of 2003. Many people died or were injured. They heard that Japan, which has many earthquakes, has high-level techniques of earthquake-proof architecture. So they wanted to get it for themselves.

The next February, Imai visited Iran and researched about the destroyed houses and buildings. He found that the basic techniques of the workers were remarkably low.

When they lay many bricks in constructing a house, they put mortar such as cement between the bricks. Formerly, they had dipped the bricks into water to seal the mortar. Lately, as they lay dry bricks, the bricks tend to collapse easily.

Though they had already started reconstruction in some areas, he saw the techniques and felt that ‘it is strange.’ They use prefabricated methods of construction too much. Some of them changed the arched roofs into steel roofs. “It may look more modern, but in fact, the traditional architecture has stronger resistance against quakes,” Imai said.

The Iranian arched roofs, and the structures to hold them, are made to spread the pressure, and hold up very well. It is a symbol of the wisdom of history. Imai said, “Foreigners can find the good points of tradition more than the local people.” He has worked very hard to revive and continue the traditional methods of construction.

On the other hand, he also suggested using the advanced earthquake-proof architecture of the Indian University of Roorkee Professor Arya to the Iranian authorities.

This method involves laying bricks as the outer walls and putting steel bars in the inside, and then hardening with concrete. This was devised through the reconstruction process of the earthquake in the northern part of India in 2001. Clay is used in India, but they can also use the bricks that are popular in Iran to change the plan into an Iranian style.

Imai persuaded the Iranian authorities who tried to adopt modern steel framework architecture when they rebuilt the facilities: “No, no… Iran has a very good architectural method.” It is a case of making use of a traditional material with techniques from the outside.

Imai, who is qualified as a First-Class Architect and Building Engineer, has worked to support many countries’ reconstructions. He thinks that the important thing in preventing the expansion of earthquake damage is to be careful with basic techniques. When he visited Iran after the earthquake, he knew that because of the mistaken ways in which traditional materials and basic methods were matched, some people died who might have survived.

Peace Winds Japan promotes building schools with earthquake-proof architecture in Iran. They also held a seminar for the workers about how to mix concrete, and the way to lay bricks. Imai and the other members hope that the workers who labor in the construction sites will recall the “great workman’s” method once again.

PART XIII -- PREVENTING THE BREAK-UP OF FAMILIES: FINDING WAYS TO RESOLVE CONFLICTS WITH CHILDREN

“Palestinian families are facing a crisis.” A Palestinian NGO leader, Abra Mafrun, speaks forthrightly. Beside her, Yoshiko Tanaka watches. She is the Secretary-General of the NGO called The Campaign for Palestinian Children, which works on support measures as an Arab organization.

The Arab organization works on the West Bank of the Jordan River, with Jenin as the stronghold. The Israeli forces invaded Jenin in retaliation for terrorism in 2000. As they continued the battle, it affected the minds of children badly.

A three-year old child wetted his bed because of the shock of the gunfight when he heard loud sounds. How can we remove the fear in children’s minds? Abra gave the child a toy gun. Every time the tanks passed, the child tried to shoot with the toy gun, aiming upstairs. The child could not give up the toy gun. It seemed that the child needed it to fight against the fear. Gradually, the child was interested in other toys and play, and the symptoms improved.

When she visited Japan and gave a speech about it, the Japanese audience asked her whether she had another way to solve these problems or not. “I don’t know if it was the best way or not. But I have to save the children who are trying to balance themselves psychologically.” The NGO workers there work very hard to save the children. Tanaka and Japanese NGO workers think and give advice together.

In Jenin, they were sealed off for a long time and the supplies decreased suddenly, and so people could not live by their own efforts. The men went to other areas to find jobs. They could go to the West Bank city of Ramallah in an hour and a half during peacetime, but because of the increase of blockades and checkpoints, it now takes thirteen hours. They could not come back in just a day, so they went to work and stay there for a month at a time.

As the days increase without their fathers, families in Jenin have changed. Teachers and mothers cannot control the children. In 2004, a 14-year-old boy killed his friend with a knife in a refugee camp, and they found that many students had knives in their bags.

As they face the overpowering armaments of Israel, the children are forced to think, ‘I am strong’ in order to confront the fear. With their distrust of adults who could not stop the invasion of the Israeli forces, violence and resistance against the teachers also increased.

Tanaka cooperated with Abra and held group counseling for the mothers who worried that they could not understand their children. While the mothers exchange their worries, the counselors advised them appropriately: “How about making handmade dolls and trying to speak about what you think about each other?” Tanaka’s advice helped them.

In the mental conflicts between children and adults, children often become radical. This is the same in Japan and Palestine, even we have different backgrounds. The Palestinian problem is not only their problem, but also our problem. Tanaka thinks about that, and works to cooperate with Abra.

PART XIV -- MUSIC THERAPY IN PALESTINE: EXPRESSING FEELINGS AND HEALING HEARTS

How do we help people who suffered trauma in the Palestinian conflicts? Rika Fujiya, who belongs to a NGO called the Japan Volunteer Center (JVC), works on this problem, which is very important to realize Middle East peace.

About half of the Palestinian people who live on the West Bank of the Jordan River and Gaza suffer post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). There are those who were shot in the conflict with the Israeli forces. These are those who saw their family dying. There are those whose houses were destroyed by the Israelis. They have these kinds of trauma.

Some children are not accepted by the schools because they cannot get along with others. Fujiya works with music therapy to improve the conditions of those who have suffered trauma. She said, “Expressing feelings through playing pianos, bells, and castanets can make us relax, and it works to heal hurts in our mind as a therapy.”

She cooperates and splits the cost with the American NGO Franciscan Life Center, which has an institution in Beit Sahour, near Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christ. They train Palestinian teachers and counselors. Nowadays, in addition to music therapy, they started language therapy to recover the functions of speaking and listening. Fujiya, who is qualified as a public health nurse, checks the degree of their health.

Since the Al-Aqsa Intifada (The uprising against Israel), the Palestinian life has become chaotic. Israel, which faced a series of terrorist acts, has launched large-scale military campaigns.

While the conflict intensified, education for children stopped.

In 2002, JVC engaged in a project to convert a library closed because of the conflict into an assembly hall where the children can learn and play. They received funds from a citizens’ group in Nagasaki and asked an architect there for a plan. Supported by the outside financially, it is one example of independent recovery by Palestinians.

Fujiya could not forget the faces of children in the camp at Beit Sahour. They had too many participants and not enough tents. Even when they made tents with plastic hurriedly, the children were very happy.

It is true. They know only refugees camps. It was first experience for them to enjoy camping as a leisure activity. Making much fuss, they sang and danced with the older leaders in the natural surroundings.

They were excited even when it became dark. The girls group, who were told to come back within the daytime, delayed coming back home and returned at midnight.

The Palestinian political situation is still insecure, but Fujiya seems to maintain hope in her mind.

PART XV -- WORKING TO IMPROVE THE ENVIRONMENT: NEW CROP TECHNIQUES AND REFORESTATION

The hidden important problem in Palestine is the environmental problem. They cannot control garbage properly, and the environment is destroyed. Soil pollution has also expanded. Some people are afraid that their children will step on hypodermic needles under the mountain of garbage.

Yasuo Kitano, who belongs to a NGO called ACE (Asia-Pacific Coalition for the Environment) has visited Israel and Palestine, and worked to improve the situation with the officials and the NGO workers.

ACE held a workshop about the environmental problem in Aqaba, a town on the Jordanian Red Sea coast, in September 2003. “Arabs don’t worry about Japan as compared with Europe which had colonies and the U.S. which sides with Israel.” Following the advice of an American NGO worker, he held discussions with 27 Israeli and Palestinian government officials and the NGO workers. They looked for a clear solution by sharing information.

ACE gave a slide show of Tokyo, which was completely destroyed by World War II, and after that, explained the process of recovery. The Palestinians responded strongly. “Even if they were in such a terrible situation now, they could eventually become a superpower.” This clear image of change stimulated them.

Hiroshi Nishihara (37), who made a presentation, explained, “In the field of the environment, Israel and Palestine should cooperate. Besides the improvement of employment, it is effective to prevent young people from engaging in violence.”

In a Persian Gulf oil-producing country, Oman, there is a Japanese who contributes to the environmental field. Tomoo Umibayashi (50) works to save and inspect mangroves as a specialist of JICA. He took the position in April 2000. In a nature reserve in the capital city Muscat, he raised seed beds by applying Japanese rice field techniques. He used money from Japanese ODA for the cost, about 500,000 yen.

Local young people also worked to raise seed fields in T-shirts and shorts. In 2001, they transplanted the seedlings to an inlet area. The tide rises and the ground hides under the sea, and when the tide goes out, the seedling rises. It is very good for mangroves. This summer, the grown mangroves had seeds and were propagating for the first time.

After that, the Omani government budgeted 13 million yen each to raise seed fields in three towns, including Sur and Salalah. They made a system to raise 57,000 seedlings a year. It is an example of Japanese support helping them to have a bigger governmental role in the environment.

Japan worked to coordinate opinions in the environmental subcommittee of the Middle East Multilateral Talks in 1990s. In the environmental field, Japan can still work for the Middle East peace.

PART XVI -- STRANGE BUT MEMORABLE SOUNDS: INTRODUCING ARAB MELODIES TO JAPAN

It sounds like something we have heard before. Is that a Korean folk song? It may sound like a old Japanese children’s song… In fact, this is Sudanese music.

“The melody of the ‘Pentatonic,’ which puts Re and La to Do, Mi, So, makes it strangely similar to Korean and Japanese music. And it moves people more than we expect.” Nobuo Mizuno (68), who has studied Arab folk songs for a long time, explains that we can hear these melodies in the southern part of Egypt.

He sometimes accompanies Islamic and Arab musicians when they come to Japan for their concerts. In 2002, when Sudanese national folk music orchestras came to Japan, they were invited by the Japan Foundation. When the orchestra members played a rhythmic song in Okinawa, local people came up to the stage dancing the Eisaa (an Okinawan traditional dance). When they played in Gifu, the children who liked the melodies and rhythm shook their body and became very excited. They even visited the members’ dressing rooms.

The melodies are different from popular Western music. Though the rhythm is in an African key, it is somehow similar to old Japanese music. This mysteriousness affects people more than they expected. Mizuno is surprised that “Music has such a great power to bring strangers and races closer.”

While he taught in Shimane University and Hyogo University of Teacher Education, he visited Iraq, Turkey, and Egypt to record the local music and collect instruments.

In the Middle East, they have passed on the custom of playing lyres. The harp is called ‘lyre’ and has been played from around 2500 BC in Ur, Iraq. It spread all over the Middle East and Europe, as a kind of harp. In Greek myths, it is said that Hermes made the first lyre with the shell of a turtle. But now they use all kinds of materials to make it in the Sinai Peninsula. They can stretch a string to the wood box and use an empty sweet box and cans. Mizuno saw “people play homemade instruments for celebrations and enjoy it,” and he was moved very much.

Risa Iino recently came back to Japan from Syria. While she studied there the relationship between Middle Eastern society and music, she also learned about Arab popular songs and singing together with a professional musician.

She came from Shizuoka, which has many instrument makers and where music is very popular. Iino also liked music, and had a part-time job at an opera. She is familiar with ‘the life of music.’ That’s why she was interested in Syrian improvisational singing, and she is eager to sing it in a concert.

In the Arabian Peninsula, in Yemen -- thought to be the homeland of the Arab race -- there is a complex rhythm of 29 beats. In Iran, there is a vocal music which is similar to Japanese Oiwake. Middle Eastern songs are foreign, but they sound like the good old days. Young people like Mizuno who are fascinated with it are increasing.

PART XVII -- JAPANESE LANGUAGE EDUCATION: BEARING RESULTS FOR PEOPLE AFTER THIRTY YEARS OF EFFORT

Yuko Ozaki (45) is involved in teaching Japanese in Egypt as a specialist of the Japan Foundation. While teaching her own classes, she also advises the Egyptian teachers.

The Japan Foundation has sent four Japanese teaching specialists at present, and they teach and advise in major universities such as Cairo University, Ain Shams University, and at the Japan Foundation office. Ozaki majored in Languages at the Australian National University’s graduate school. Since 1997, she has taught Japanese in Sri Lanka and in Egypt. She took the post in Cairo in September 2003.

The Japanese course and Japanese literature course in Cairo University had its 30th anniversary last year. There are nine teachers who have a PhD graduated from courses managed by the department. Ozaki evaluated it as “very solid.”

The first alumni teacher, Ahmad Fathi (49), teaches Japanese literature. He is a very popular associate professor who draws pictures of Japanese uniforms or the view of Izu for the students to understand the culture when he teaches Yasunari Kawabata’s Dancing Girl of Izu. He inspires the students to be creative: “I always give higher points to a creative essay.”

They really understand that they need to change “the method of just memorizing which still remains in Egyptian education.” Ozaki also points out the need for independent thinking.

Shin Takeda (57) has been sent for two years as a Japan Foundation specialist to open a Japanese course in King Saud University in Saudi Arabia. Takeda is a professor of Osaka University of Foreign Studies, and a researcher of geography in the Islamic world. Speaking Arabic and preparing for the university tasks, he will open a Japanese course at the beginning of next year.

But because of the health conditions, other specialists would not come to teach there. When he was in trouble, he found two alumni of Cairo University. Both of them had degrees from Tsukuba University. They and Takeda, who taught at the Japanese course of Cairo University, had some friends in common. It is big advantage to teach Saudi Arabian people in Arabic. In fall 1994, they had made their own system and started using it.

An Egyptian teacher, Karam Halil (47), who taught at that time, recalls, “I thought that I wanted to expand the role of the Japanese course at Cairo University by making use of what I had studied.” They had enough money to have high-quality audio-visual aids. On the other hand, Takeda said that, “We needed to consider their customs such as the time of prayer.”

The Japanese course at Cairo University was established in 1974, which was the year following the First Oil Shock. There was a growing tendency to want to maintain close relations with Arab countries in order to stabilize oil supplies. This effort bore fruit after 30 years, as support for Saudi Arabia. This cultural support takes a long time, but the contributions of Takeda and Halil in Saudi Arabia suggest that it will certainly bear fruit eventually.

PART XVIII -- CULTURAL EXCHANGE: MEETING THE FOREIGN BECOMES A STIMULUS

In September, Israeli and Palestinian scholars exchanged their opinions in the International Culture Forum which was held by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. The place was at Horyuji Temple in Nara. The participant from Israel was Ben-Ami Shillony (68). He has been involved in studying Japan for 49 years as a professor of Hebrew University.

Shillony pointed out “The ‘heritage of Shotoku Taishi,’ which was represented as ‘Wa o Motte Totoshi to Nasu’ (The important thing is Harmony), in this world in which there is so much terrorism and war.”

As a Palestinian leader, the Al-Quds University President Sari Nusseibeh participated. He suggested that the both sides, Palestine and Israel, now tend to think about the positions of the other side after such a long conflict.

Masayuki Yamauchi (58), who is a professor of Tokyo University, and coordinated the meeting, recalls “They did not force their own opinions and debated properly. It was a constructive debate in which they respected each others’ opinions.”

Shillony was born in Poland. He fled with his family to the Soviet Union on the eve of the invasion of the Nazis. In that time, some people said that it was safer for Jews to go to Germany. But, in fact, “The people who waited until the German forces came were killed in the Holocaust.”

In 1948, Israel was founded. His family, which had narrowly escaped death, migrated to Israel. Shillony majored in History in university. In the middle of the 1960s, he studied at International Christian University (ICU) and published papers and books about social history of the Showa period. Lately, he has been studying about the Japanese Imperial House.

Shillony, who took part in the Second Middle Eastern War as a soldier, was surprised that, “I could be friendly with Nusseibeh whom I met in my own research area.”

Yamauchi, who participated in the debate, has been involved in many cultural exchanges, becoming a leader in some missions of the Foreign Ministry. When he visited the Middle East with businessmen and designers, he felt the importance of “people who have various kinds of jobs thinking about the future of the Middle East.”

Not only the official diplomacy by the government, but also “meetings of different cultures in travel and business are also a ‘diplomatic space,’ and have a big influence,” he says.

Though researchers have been working for people to understand international problems, “practicing actual exchanges is big issue for people who work in diplomacy. They need to have more information about these countries.” Some people worship the economic growth of Japan in Arab countries, but some point out that Japan should also be noted for the negative aspects such as environmental pollution.

Prime Minister Koizumi is considering visiting the Middle East in January (2006). In that process, he visited the Israeli Embassy in Japan. While he enjoyed music with the Ambassador, he also invited the Arab Ambassadors in Japan to have a dinner after Ramadan. These actions were reported in the Middle Eastern newspapers, and included photos.

The meeting with different cultures stimulates both sides, Japan and the Middle East, and it has the possibility to prompt various effects.

PART XIX -- COMMUNICATING BUSINESS CULTURES: LOGIC EDUCATION CONNECTED TO INVESTMENT

Yasuharu Tanaka (50) works in Riyadh as an investment adviser of SAGIA (Saudi Arabia General Investment Authority). Saudi Arabia is going to join to the WTO. He said, “I advise them on preparing the domestic laws and political fields as they are negotiating with other countries about deregulation and accepting foreign investments.”

Tanaka has worked in a major plant and in foreign-affiliated banks. He took his new post in Saudi Arabia in November 2001. He was sent by the Japan Cooperation Center for the Middle East (JCCME) in a cooperative agreement between the Japanese and Saudi Arabian governments.

The time was right after 9.11. The U.S. and Saudi Arabia did not get along at that time because it was reported that the some of the terrorists were Saudi Arabian. He said that, “I thought we could make a closer relation at that time, and the people from the royal family welcomed us.”

Saudi Arabia is at a crucial stage of reform to make it a market economy now. “In addition to planning Japanese investment in Saudi Arabia, we have many inquiries from Japanese workers in the Middle East and Europe.” In the background of the high crude oil prices, we can expect a huge demand for infrastructure, and everyone is interested in Saudi Arabia.

Jiro Nemoto (77) who is the president of JCCME, which sent Tanaka, insists on the importance of training people. Nemoto has various connections all over the world as the honorary president of the Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) line. The Middle East seems to be “extreme” area for him.

There are big differences between rich and poor in land, and there are also big differences between each country. In the Arabian area, Qatar’s national income is US$28,630 per person; in contrast, Sudan’s is US$460. To make the Middle East stable, “We need to develop the economies and the people at the same time,” says Nemoto.

Along with this opinion, JCCME carries out a “Japan Program,” which passes intellectual resources cultivated by Japanese business and education to the Middle East. While they send specialists of Japanese business to Iran and Turkey, they also support the educational businesses of science and mathematics in which the Kumon Institute of Education cooperates with NYK.

Kumon has been involved in the educational business in 43 countries. In the Middle East, they have sent workers to Abu Dhabi, who trained the local teachers as one of the support businesses of the Japan Petroleum Exploration Co. (Japex). Kumon put its techniques and knowledge to work.

In the Middle East, where there is terrorism and conflict, they cannot train the private companies and people well enough under the conditions of political sloganeering and nationalism. Understanding that, Japan, with its experience of market capitalism, can perform the important international contribution of spreading a logical, cooperative business culture, and at the same time, expand its own resource security and joint business enterprises in the region.