Newsletter No. 1197
News-Analysis
November 10, 2008

 

TARO NAKAYAMA IN TEHRAN

Taro Nakayama, Japan’s foreign minister at the time of the Persian Gulf War in 1991, has been on a visit to Tehran in recent days. Not coincidentally, Nakayama is also chairman of the Japan-Iran Parliamentary Friendship League, and so he is one of Tokyo’s leading politicians in support of a positive bilateral relationship.

The Iranian media reported about several high-level meetings.

On the 8th, Nakayama met with Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Chairman Alaeddin Borujerdi, who encouraged the Japanese lawmaker to move Japan-Iran relations beyond “transient developments.” Borujerdi said the Iranian parliament favors close ties with Japan. He added that Iran and Japan enjoy great potential for scientific and cultural cooperation. Turning to the nuclear issue, Borujerdi was clear: “Iran will never forego its right for the peaceful use of nuclear energy.” Finally, Borujerdi also referred to the US military interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan, saying, “World public opinion and the American people are waiting for a major change in the country’s policies.”

The same day Nakayama met Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani, who told him: “Regional problems -- especially the crises in Palestine and Iraq -- can only be solved through a return to people’s votes and diplomatic ways.” He added that Iran would welcome an “independent” Japanese policy toward West Asia.

Nakayama met the Head of Dialogue among Civilizations Center / former President Mohammad Khatami yesterday. Khatami told Nakayama that “bullying is representing a direct threat to the regional stability,” and also called for stronger links between Japanese and Iranian NGOs. Nakayama invited Khatami to make another visit to Japan to strengthen bilateral ties.

ANCIENT AND CONTEMPORARY LINKS BETWEEN IRAN AND NARA

Indirect links between Japan and Persia go back to Japan’s Nara Period (710-794). The Shosoin, an ancient Japanese temple in Nara, still preserves artwork transported to Japan via the Silk Road and China more than twelve centuries ago. During the 8th century, Persian culture was popular in Changan, the capital of China’s Tang Dynasty, and kentoshi, Japanese official delegates to the dynasty, brought back to Japan crafts from Persia or else influenced by its culture.

The 60th Annual Exhibition of the Shosoin Treasures at the Nara National Museum in Nara has been ongoing this past week, displaying some artworks that are traced back to the pre-Islamic Sassanid Persian dynasty (226-651). Among this year’s exhibits, the Hakururi no Wan (cut glass bowl) vividly illustrates the influence of Sassanid Persia. Some traditional Japanese musical instruments are also believed to have their origins in ancient Persia.

Among the guests at this year’s Nara exhibition was Iranian Ambassador Abbas Araghchi. The ambassador was met by Nara Mayor Akira Fujiwara, and the story was picked up by IRNA. Araghchi stated: “Cultural commonalties between Iran and Japan are beyond my imagination, up to the present day… This should pave the way for boosting cultural cooperation between the two countries, the records of whose cultural relations date back to the time of the economic prosperity of the ancient Silk Road.” Mayor Fujiwara responded:

Nara is the first Japanese city that became acquainted with the rich Iranian culture through the exchanges via the ancient Silk Road. Fortunately the Iranian culture and arts are still alive and generative in Nara and there are lots of researchers in this city who are eager to study and personally observe Iran’s culture, history, and contemporary social developments… The potential for cultural exchanges between Iran and Japan is quite high today and one of them is the enthusiasm of Nara researchers in studying the Iranian culture, which is partly due to the existence of lots of historic and even ancient Iranian artifacts in this historic Japanese city.

Ambassador Araghchi proposed that the links should be strengthened by forming a sister city relationship between Nara and an old Iranian city such as Isfahan or Shiraz. The Nara mayor is said to have welcomed this suggestion.

IRAN NEWS BRIEFS

Intolerance was the reason for Iran’s failure to gain a UN Security Council seat, according to Iranian diplomats. Iran’s UN Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee told his nation’s state television: “Obviously, the structure of the Security Council is such that it must be said in practice a few special countries make decisions there and impose ideas. And it is natural that these countries are disinterested in independent ideas or the entry of states that believe in the necessity of re-examining its structure. Anyhow, some do not have the tolerance to hear an independent voice in a structure incompatible with today’s world necessities.”

The 5th Iran-Japan Human Rights Dialogue was held on October 26th in Tehran. The Iranian delgation was led by Dr. Tahereh Nazari, director-general for Women International Affairs and Human Rights section of the Iranian Foreign Ministry. The Japanese delegation was led by Shigeyuki Hiroki, ambassador in charge of UN Affairs. In this round of dialogue, a special roundtable on women issues was held in which Iranian and Japanese scholars and experts presented information about recent developments on the status of women in both countries. The Iran-Japan Human Rights Dialogue began at the time of then-President Mohammed Khatami’s official visit to Japan in 2000. It had been held in Tehran thrice (2000, 2002, and 2004) and in Tokyo once (2007). The 2007 event in Tokyo was reported in Shingetsu Newsletter No. 673.

A Japanese Cultural Badge has been awarded to an Iranian national for the first time. The recipient of the honor was Mohammad Naqizadeh, who was given the award in recognition of his efforts to promote research on Japan. The official ceremony of the granting the badge to Naqizadeh was held in Imperial Palace in Tokyo on November 7th. The Japanese cultural badge was instituted in 1888 and the first was presented to Eiichi Shibusawa, considered the father of Japan’s economic system. Naqizadeh, a noted Iranian economist, has written many books in Persian about Japan, including Japan and Its Economic Security Policies and Japan: War, Reconstruction, and Economic Policies. His book Japanese Economic Thoughts was selected as the best book of the year in Iran in 2006.