Newsletter No. 159
January 14, 2006

 

Through the good offices of Professor Selcuk Esenbel (Shingetsu Member No. 36), a post-graduate student of Bogazici University named Erdal Kucukyalcin (Shingetsu Member No. 81), has sent us a report from Istanbul on Prime Minister Koizumi’s visit to that country. Below that is Prime Minister Koizumi’s own account of his visit as related in his regular e-mail magazine.

TURKEY IS OUR PARTNER!

January 10, 2006

Turkey Is Our Partner!

The Japanese Premier, in an interview said "Turkey and Japan have been friends for over a hundred years. Turkey, having profound knowledge of the Middle East, and playing an important part in the stability of the region, is an important partner for Japan."

Photo: Koizumi and Erdogan
Source: Kantei

"I have always wanted to visit Turkey. Turkey is a geo-strategically important country because it is a bridge between Europe and Asia, and it is located on the path for energy transportation. Although Japan is geographically far, emotionally she is a close country. Strengthening the close ties based on mutual understanding with Turkey is a goal of Japanese foreign policy." Mr. Koizumi also offered Turkey cooperation in efforts for assisting the Iraqi people’s political stability.

Most Colorful Japanese Prime Minister!

Junichiro Koizumi is regarded to be the most colorful Prime Minister in Japanese history. With his lion-like white hair, he is said to look like the famous composer Beethoven. He is also like Dustin Hoffman's character in the movie "Kramer vs. Kramer" since he had raised his two children by himself. Although he seems not to be a typical Japanese, still he is sensitive to tradition.

January 11, 2006

Koizumi folded an origami crane during his visit to the Turkish-Japanese Foundation!

Japanese Premier Junichiro Koizumi visited the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. His next visit was to the Turkish-Japanese Foundation. He participated in an origami class and showed his skill by making an origami crane. He also chatted with the students learning Japanese.

Photo: Koizumi Folds Origami
Source: Kantei

During the honorary dinner hosted by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, Mr. Koizumi listened to the traditional Turkish song "Katibim," and said it was a popular song in Japan once sung by Erichi Emi with a title, "Uskudar e Harubaru Tazunete Kitara." He also joined the chorus in singing the song.

During dinner, Mr. Koizumi appealed to Mr. Erdogan to send a Turkish wrestler to the Japanese Sumo league. He added that the Grand Champion is now a Mongolian at the moment and that Turkish wrestlers may be very successful in Sumo because wrestling is a traditional sport of Turkey. Mr. Erdogan answered that he had eaten in a restaurant owned by the family of that Mongolian Sumo wrestler during his official visit.

January 12, 2006

Mr. Koizumi promises support for the Turkish project called “Erez Industrial Zone (EIZP), Palestine.”

Mr. Koizumi received the leaders of chambers of commerce of Turkey. He expressed his concern in the joint project designed by the Turkish-Israeli-Palestinian Chambers of Commerce. The Federation of the Chambers of Commerce of Turkey is taking the initiative in the Erez Industrial Zone Project.

Mr. Koizumi visits a Turkish Hero in Istanbul!

Mr. Koizumi will pay a visit to the Turkish pilot who had rescued 215 Japanese nationals during the Iran-Iraq war in 1985. Mr. Ali Ozdemir was the captain in charge of a Turkish Airlines aircraft when he was ordered by then-President Turgut Ozal to help evacuating the Japanese nationals living in Tehran, Iran. Other airlines had decided not to go to Tehran due to the high risk of bombardment. The operation was completed successfully.

Photo: Koizumi Meets Ali Ozdemir
Source: Kantei

Mr. Koizumi is expected to express the feelings of gratitude in the name of his nation to Mr. Ozdemir. Mr. Ozdemir was reported to say that he would do the same without hesitation for people in need of help, especially Japanese.

January 13, 2005

The Japanese Premier continues his visit in Istanbul!

Photo: Koizumi Visits the Blue Mosque
Source: Kantei

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Turkish Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim visited the Marmaray Project platform in Istanbul together on Thursday. Yildirim said that the Marmaray Project (a rail system connecting the European and Asian sides of Istanbul) was a very important project, noting that Turkey wanted to carry out similar projects. Yildirim added that his government also aimed to cooperate with Japan in the area of ship construction.

The Marmaray Project provides an upgrading of the commuter rail system in Istanbul, connecting Halkali on the European side with Gebze on the Asian side with an uninterrupted, modern, high-capacity commuter rail system. The Marmaray Project is one of the major transportation infrastructure projects in the world at present. The entire upgraded and new railway system will be approximately 76 km long.

Koizumi Cabinet E-mail Magazine No. 217
January 12, 2005

Visit to Turkey

Junichiro Koizumi here.

A Happy New Year to all of you. The first installment of this year's e-mail magazine comes to you directly from Turkey, a country straddling the continents of Europe and Asia. Since January 9 I have been visiting Turkey, which is a great distance away geographically but is a country that has a very friendly and positive relationship with Japan. Japan and Turkey share countless episodes of friendship.

In 1890, a mission of roughly 650 people headed by Special Envoy of the Ottoman Empire Osman Pasha, which landed in Yokohama after a 11-month sea voyage, completed its goodwill visit to Japan, including an audience with Emperor Meiji, and was heading back home. On the return voyage, the Frigate Ertugrul was swept by a typhoon and with the crew still on board sank in the coast off Wakayama Prefecture. It was a catastrophic incident in which several hundred people died.

When this tragedy occurred, the people in the area made earnest rescue efforts. The 69 survivors were then graciously escorted to the Ottoman Empire (now Turkey) by Japanese navy cruisers. Afterwards, a memorial has been built in Kushimoto Town, Wakayama Prefecture, and a memorial ceremony has been held every five years.

Ninety-five years later in 1985, amid the bombing offensive on Tehran at the height of the Iran-Iraq War, it was Turkey that rescued the Japanese nationals living in Tehran who were trying to escape from that city.

Japan did not have regularly scheduled flights to Tehran, and it was feared that Japanese nationals did not stand a chance of escaping from Tehran and crossing the Iranian border. The desperate calls for help by Japanese Embassy staff and other Japanese people stationed there reached across the border to Turkey, and the Government of Turkey dispatched a special flight to Tehran for the rescue of Japanese nationals. The special flight crossed the Iran-Turkey border barely before the time limit at which Iraq declared that it would attack aircraft, stating "all aircraft in Iran's airspace would be targets of attack." It is said that the passengers broke out in cheers when the pilot announced, "welcome to Turkey."

I am deeply moved by the resolve of the Turkish Government and the people of Turkish Airlines who helped to rescue the Japanese nationals in the midst of this tense international situation, heedless of the danger they were putting themselves in. The pilot Ali Ozdemir is still alive and well. When I meet him today, I would like to once again express our appreciation.

At the time of the major earthquakes in Turkey in 1999, Japan, both the public and private sectors, extended assistance to help with the country's reconstruction from the disaster. It is still fresh in my memory that as part of this assistance, a number of provisional housing units utilized in the aftermath of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake were sent to the disaster-affected areas in Turkey.

During my meetings with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan we confirmed the unfailing friendship between our two countries and had frank and candid discussions on the cooperation between Japan and Turkey towards the Middle East peace process and reconstruction assistance in Iraq. I intend to make sure that this serves as an opportunity to further enhance the friendly relationship between Japan and Turkey.

The record snowfalls since the end of last year have been causing immense damage across Japan. Including the dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) for snow removal, the Government will take prompt response measures.

The Diet deliberations will begin immediately after I return to Japan. In order to make certain that the economy which has finally moved back onto the recovery track stays on course, I will, first of all, make utmost efforts to pass the budget before the end of this fiscal year, and comprehensively address the plethora of challenges facing us, including the frequent occurrence of crimes, asbestos issue, and the falsification of earthquake-resistance data for buildings.

I am resolved to make every effort to fulfill my responsibility as Prime Minister for the full remainder of my term this year. I ask for the understanding and cooperation of the people of Japan in these endeavors.

I sincerely hope that this year will be a fruitful and fulfilling year for all of you.