Newsletter No. 621
News-Analysis
May 26, 2007

 

IRANIAN EMBASSY HOSTS DISCUSSION ON JAPANESE RELATIONS WITH THE ISLAMIC WORLD

IRNA has reported that the Embassy of Iran in Tokyo hosted an interesting event on the evening of the 23rd. The main Japanese guest was former Foreign Minister Yohei Kono, and the other guests included the ambassadors and charge d’affaires of most of the Islamic countries that maintain embassies in Tokyo. Journalists were apparently not allowed to attend the event, probably to allow the participants to express themselves more freely.

It would appear that the main topic of discussion was Japanese relations with the Islamic world, including the Muslim community residing inside Japan.

Since we were not a fly on the wall at this event, it is impossible to judge whether or not the discussions were really substantial, or whether any significant initiatives are in the works. From past experience we know that Yohei Kono is one of the few senior LDP politicians that takes Japanese relations with the Islamic world seriously, and he was said to have “underlined the need for more exchanges of views among senior officials of Japan and Islamic countries” during the evening’s event.

On the other hand, Kono is a confirmed moderate inside a ruling party that has become increasingly rightwing and ideological, and therefore cannot be said to wield a great deal of influence among the mainstream of the party.

We cannot say whether or not this event at the Iranian Embassy was truly significant, but it is certainly a positive step for ambassadors of Muslim countries to directly exchange ideas and impressions about Japanese policy toward the Islamic world. A little solidarity could go a long way toward getting the attention of the Japanese government.