Japan to polish its tarnished Middle East image
By J Sean Curtin

As part of a determined effort to reform its tarnished image in the Arab world, the Japanese government has announced a bold set of Middle East initiatives on Iraq and the Israel-Palestine conflict. The latest move is part of an ongoing strategy designed to distinguish Japanese Middle East policy clearly from that of the United States, a move likely to irritate Washington.

Tokyo has officially stated that at the June summit of the Group of Eight (G8) countries in Sea Islands, Georgia, it will urge a resumption of dialogue between Israel and the Palestinian Authority as well as a return to the internationally backed "roadmap" peace plan, which envisages the creation of a Palestinian state by 2005. Japan also will try to give Iraq's reconstruction efforts a major boost by using its clout to improve international cooperation. Tokyo is hoping that these actions, combined with its robust condemnation of Israel's recent assassinations of two Hamas leaders, Sheik Ahmed Yassin and Abdel Aziz Rantissi, will help it restore its once-glittering image in the Middle East.

For decades Japan has invested heavily in crafting a positive image for itself in the Middle East, an area that is crucial to the supply of its energy needs. However, since actively supporting US President George W Bush's war in Iraq, Japan's reputation in the Arab world has suffered. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's staunch support for the war was also unpopular domestically, as well as deeply divisive. In an attempt to counteract some of the negative impact of his Iraq policy, Koizumi has decided to demonstrate that his country's Middle East policy is radically different from Washington's approach...
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