Newsletter No. 769
News-Analysis
October 15, 2007

 

PRIME MINISTER FUKUDA PRESIDES OVER AN IFTAR

We have discussed the iftars of Prime Ministers Koizumi and Abe in Shingetsu Newsletter Nos. 96 and 414. Now, we have been informed by Khaldon Azhari (Shingetsu Member No. 49) of PanOrient News that Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda has also hosted an iftar dinner together with government officials and diplomats from Islamic countries.

Mr. Azhari was kind enough to send us two sources of information on this year’s iftar. First, he provided a link to a television report that he produced for Press TV (Iran). Secondly, he made an English translation for us of his own Arabic-language PanOrient News wire report, supplemented by his own experience of the event.

What we learn is as follows:

The event was held at a Tokyo hotel this year because the change of premiers made the use of the kantei inconvenient. The food sounded delicious, because each embassy brought along their special national dishes for the guests.

Azhari summarizes Prime Minister Fukuda’s speech as follows: “Japan is interested in boosting its relations with Islamic countries because Japanese people are tolerant to other religions and tolerance is also a feature of Islam. I promise to host next year’s Ramadan iftar as well. Just one month ago, I was not expecting to attend such an event given the political turmoil in Japan, but since I am in fact here, I hope that the Middle East can also find peace.”

Sitting next to Fukuda for most of the dinner was Qatari Ambassador Riad Ansari, who is now Dean of the Arabic and Islamic Diplomatic Corps since Tunisian Ambassador Salah Hannachi has recently returned home. In his speech, Ansari said: “We are confident that under the wise leadership of Prime Minister Fukuda, who is well aware of the situation in our region, Japan will continue its important role in achieving lasting peace and prosperity through development there… Japan is a country that enjoys credibility among Islamic and Arabic countries because we appreciate Japanese contributions -- especially its assistance to the Palestinians."

Next up was Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba: “The SDF are taught basic principles of Islamic cultures and languages before they are sent to Muslim countries. I emphasize that SDF members are instructed to respect local cultures and religious beliefs. I ask for the continued support of Muslim countries, represented by these ambassadors at the iftar, to continue your support for SDF missions.”

Khaldon Azhari comments dryly: “Based on Ishiba’s comments, it seems that Japan will keep sending its army to more Islamic countries in the future!”

Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura emphasized the need for dialogue and appealed for everyone to avoid a “clash of civilizations.”

Though she is now out of any major cabinet office, Yuriko Koike was once again one of the stars of the show, serving as the Master of Ceremonies. Azhari comments that her “cheerful style” added real warmth to the event, and he also observes: “She obviously enjoys the support and close friendship and attention of the Arab and Muslim ambassadors. If a Japanese prime minister were to be elected by the Muslim diplomats stationed in Tokyo, I believe that Koike would win easily.”

Other guests at the event included Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura (who didn’t give a speech) and all of the MOFA officials and diplomats that you would expect at such an event.

As a final comment, Azhari offers this observation: “The atmosphere was very friendly and relaxed. You can feel easily that the Japanese official position tends to be very friendly toward Islam-related issues when it's demonstrated at such events. But when you go to Narita or see the police or the immigration officers, you might experience a different vocabulary!”