Newsletter No. 691
News-Analysis
July 31, 2007

 

SUMMARY OF EVENTS IN JAPANESE-ISLAMIC RELATIONS FOR JUNE 2007

There were four major stories in June:

1) Hamas captured the Gaza Strip by force, and all along Tokyo was very outspoken in support of President Mahmud Abbas and Fatah.

2) The Japanese Communist Party revealed that the SDF was monitoring the activities of peace groups in violation of the Japanese Constitution.

3) Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah visited Tokyo and signed the Japan-Brunei Economic Partnership Agreement.

4) Two Pakistani warships visit Japan, but two mishaps created a scandal.

The first story was surprising and significant. As Hamas-Fatah fighting reached a crisis in the Gaza Strip, Tokyo announced that they would provide financial aid to Palestine exclusively though President Abbas’ office. Between that material support and a series of MOFA statements, Tokyo clearly was taking sides with Fatah against Hamas.

The second story was also significant. The Japanese Communist Party obtained documentary evidence proving that the SDF had set up a unit that illegally monitors peace groups. Despite some outrage in the left-leaning press, official Japan made no move to correct this abuse.

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah toured Japan and the new agreement was expected to solidify bilateral relations. This is particularly important for Japan’s LNG imports.

A rare visit to Japan by two Pakistani warships turned into a fiasco when some sailors went missing in Tokyo and allegations surfaced that pollutants were dumped into Tokyo Bay. It thus seemed unlikely that too many more Pakistani warships would be coming to Japan.

Aside from the four major stories, there were the following smaller and more subtle events in June:

1) Tokyo offered money for poverty reduction in Bosnia.

2) Japan and Brunei conducted a joint survey of Brunei’s fishery resources.

3) MOFA dispatched an envoy to Mali to mark President Toure’s second inauguration.

4) A conference called “Japan and Turkey in the Global Community” introduced the main themes of Japanese foreign policy to the Turkish public.

5) An ikebana demonstration was held in Dhaka to mark the 35th anniversary of Japan-Bangladesh relations.

6) Indonesian Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono called for the assistance of East Asian nations in helping his country patrol the Malacca Straits.

7) Tokyo provided funds for various new projects to aid education in Afghanistan.

8) Indian poet Sampooran Singh Gulzar promoted Urdu poetry during a tour in Japan.

9) Japan and Pakistan reached an agreement in principle on the terms of their new tax treaty.

10) The Iranian embassy objected to the showing of the movie “300” in Japanese theaters.

11) MOFA released a short statement expressing condolences to the families of the victims of a bombing in Beirut, which included the death of Lebanese Parliament member Walid Eido and his eldest son.

12) Deputy Foreign Minister Mitoji Yabunaka attended the GUAM summit in Baku and met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

13) A suicide bombing on a police academy bus in Kabul killed at least 35 people and injured two Japanese NPO workers.

14) Japan hosted a conference on the “Disbandment of the Illegal Armed Groups for the Stabilization of Afghanistan.”

15) The two-year extension of the ASDF mission in Kuwait and Iraq passed the Diet.

16) The seventh round of Japan-Indonesia Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations was held in Tokyo.

17) The first round of negotiations to conclude a Japan-Kazakhstan Agreement for Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy was held in Astana.

18) Mitsui & Company announced that their bid to build a power and desalinization plant valued at US$1.3 billion was accepted by the Kuwait's Ministry of Electricity and Water.

18) Mitsui & Company announced that their bid to build a power and desalinization plant valued at US$1.3 billion was accepted by the Kuwait's Ministry of Electricity and Water.

19) The "Sixteenth Japan-Iran Vice-Ministerial Regular Consultation" was held in Tokyo.

20) It was reported that many of Japan's top banks were gradually cutting their links with Iran.

21) The Iranian embassy held a two-week photo exhibition in Tokyo.

22) MOFA announced that they would provide about US$3.5 million to support provincial and general elections in Pakistan.

23) New Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Asia and Pacific Security Affairs James Shinn requested that Japan send the SDF to Afghanistan.

24) Deputy Foreign Minister Katsuhito Asano visited Damascus and met with President Bashar al-Assad.

25) JICA confirmed its commitment to stay in Mindanao so long as the ceasefire was being observed in practice.

26) Tokyo provided financial aid to the Project for the Construction of the Kaman-Kalehoyuk Archaeological Museum in Turkey.

27) The cruise ship of the well-known Japanese NPO Peace Boat arrived in Aden for a short visit.

28) Azerbaijan's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Araz Azimov paid a courtesy call on Taro Aso.

29) Tokyo provided aid to Egypt for the "Project for the Modernization of the Agricultural Mechanization Center in Damanhur."