Newsletter No. 350
News-Analysis
August 3, 2006

 

JAPAN AND IRAN TO EXPAND CULTURAL TIES AMID POLITICAL UNCERTAINTY

At the diplomatic level, Tokyo and Tehran are locked in a period of considerable tension and uncertainty. On July 31st, Japan supported a UNSC resolution which called on Iran to give up some nuclear development activities by August 31st or else face possible sanctions. Foreign Minister Taro Aso's comments underlined Japanese support for this approach: "We told Iran it should not think that the international community would wait patiently for its response forever. Iran needs to make a swift response." Aso therefore simply echoed the official American line on this issue.

Meeting with Aso yesterday, Iranian Vice-President Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei delivered Tehran's response. He repeated Tehran's position that they would accept talks and negotiations over the nuclear program, but rejected pressure and threats: "the Security Council resolution heightens mistrust and strengthens the belief that Western countries are attempting to take away Iran's rights through pressure rather than dialogue."

Tehran's position -- as it was explained to me by an Iranian diplomat some time ago -- is that Iran feels that it is now a great power, and demands to be addressed with respect and honor by the international community. The days in which outside powers could address Iran like a naughty child are over, according to this formulation. Mashaei's statements lend additional substance to this view that for many Iranians, an important issue is that of the tone in which they are addressed.

I suspect that the MOFA bureaucrats are much more sensitive to this than is Foreign Minister Aso.

Vice-President Mashaei -- who is also Head of Iran's Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) -- had arrived in Tokyo on July 30th, and met with Japanese Minister of Education Kenji Kosaka on the 31st. The occasion was provided by the opening of the "Persian Glory" exhibition, which hopes to deepen Japanese public interest in the history and culture of Iran.

Mashaei was quoted as saying, "We are prepared to cooperate with Japan in cultural fields at regional and global levels." Kosaka made comments to the effect that, "the great interest of the Japanese people in getting acquainted with Islamic and Iranian civilization leads to the hope that Japan's relations with Islamic states, in particular those of the Middle East region, including Iran, will expand in future."

On August 2nd, Mashaei held meetings with Toru Nakamura, Chairman of the Japan Tourism Association, and Japan Foundation President Kazuo Ogoura. In these meetings, discussions were held about how to expand Japanese tourism in Iran, and what other cultural links could be expanded between the two countries.

However, in spite of these warm sentiments being expressed on both sides, on very the same day as Mashaei and Kosaka were welcoming the exhibition, METI released a report that confirmed a steep drop in Japanese imports of Iranian oil. The report found that the June 2006 figure was no less than 63.4% lower than the June 2005 figure. As a result, Iran has just dropped from being Japan's No. 3 supplier of oil to its No. 5 supplier (behind Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, and Kuwait). Japan's overall dependence on Arab and Iranian oil, however, remained steady at 90.1%.

As Japanese oil companies have been withdrawing from Iran, they've been expanding ties with the Saudis, in particular.