PAKISTANI PRIME MINISTER AZIZ TO VISIT JAPAN

From August 8th to August 11th, Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz will visit Japan. The visit is based on an invitation from PM Koizumi, and will aim to rebuild Japan-Pakistan relations in the face of several serious problems.

On the political level, a number of factors have cooled of Japan-Pakistan relations. First of all, the May 30, 1998, nuclear tests of Pakistan led to a downgrading of the relationship. As the only country that has suffered an atomic bombing, Japan has traditionally been sensitive to the issue of nuclear proliferation. Related to this, Japan has been criticizing Pakistan’s tests of ballistic missiles. The fact that Pakistan has been dealing with North Korea on these issues makes Tokyo particularly sensitive.

Another issue is UNSC reform. Japan has been prioritizing the G-4 plan for some time now. However, one of Japan’s partners in that endeavor is Pakistan’s archrival, India. Pakistan is not just opposed to the G-4 plan, they are downright hostile. In fact, Pakistan’s UN Ambassador recently went so far as to call the G-4 proposal “a recipe for disaster—disaster for the UNSC reform, for UN reform, and for international peace and cooperation.”

Nevertheless, there are some elements of cooperation in the Japan-Pakistan relationship as well. On the issue of anti-terrorism, PM Koizumi and President Musharraf see eye to eye. Japan regards the Pakistani regime as being an ally in the “war on terrorism.” Also, on the economic level, and at the level of economic aid, there has been cooperation between Japan and Pakistan.

During PM Aziz’s visit to Japan, he will propose beginning negotiations for a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) between the two countries. Currently, Pakistani exports to Japan are valued at about US $125 million, while Japanese exports to Pakistan are at about the US$850 million level. Consequently, the Pakistanis are eager to find ways to boost their exports to Japan and to redress the trade balance.

Pakistan is also seeking Japan’s help in the energy sector.

PM Koizumi made a brief visit to Pakistan on April 30th of this year. This will be Shaukat Aziz’s second official visit to Japan, but during his earlier visit, in October 2001, he was acting as a personal envoy of President Musharraf, and was not yet Prime Minister.