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The Oily Diplomacy Of Japan
UPI Senior Correspondent Tokyo (UPI) April 30, 2007 The United States remains Japan's single most important ally politically and militarily as well as economically, but that is not stopping Tokyo from making greater overtures to the Middle East. For an island nation that imports effectively all of its petroleum supply, of which 90 percent comes from the Middle East, securing sound relations with the region has been critical for its survival as the world's second-largest economy. As a result, there have been greater efforts in recent years to cultivate stronger ties with oil-exporting nations even as Japan has continued to maintain its relationship with the United States. So while Tokyo has supported the U.S. attack against Iraq from the beginning of the war on the one hand, Japan has stepped up its own endeavors to build stronger links with the oil-rich region over the past three years. Indeed, since he took office last September, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be setting the record as the premier who spent the longest time traveling extensively in the region in order to demonstrate both to the Japanese public and the Middle East countries that he can act independently of Washington when it comes to promoting Japan's national interest, especially as Japan faces increasing competition from China and India to secure natural resources. As such, after a one-day meeting in Washington last Friday where he met with President George W. Bush on his home turf for the first time, Abe kicked off a five-country tour of the region, making his first stop in Saudi Arabia Saturday. Ahead of his meeting with Saudi's King Abdullah, Abe said at a business forum in Riyadh that it was crucial for Japan to "go beyond an oil-centric relationship" and emphasized the need for "multi-layered" ties that included political, social and cultural as well as economic relations. Nevertheless, in a joint statement following the bilateral meeting, the two countries stated that "further development of economic relations is a main driving force towards the development of strategic relations between Saudi Arabia and Japan." Moreover, Abe is being accompanied on this Middle Eastern tour by about 180 Japanese business leaders, many of whom represent energy companies. Private participation in the official overseas visits of prime ministers is a rare occurrence in Japan, unlike in the United States, where corporate executives often play a visible role in governing administrations. As such, the composition of Abe's entourage alone signals just how eager Japan is to forge stronger relations in the region that go far beyond diplomatic niceties. Indeed, Trade Minister Akira Amari will be following in Abe's footsteps as he will be arriving in Saudi Arabia Tuesday to promote stronger trade relations with the region. Japan is hoping to sign on free-trade agreements with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates among others by 2008. Meanwhile in Abu Dhabi Sunday, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation said hours before Abe's arrival to the UAE capital that it would provide a $1 billion loan to the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, making it one of the biggest loans made by the Japanese development bank. For ADNOC, accepting the large loan has made it reverse its position until now of not accepting funds from foreign entities. By jointly developing oil fields, ADNOC hopes to take greater advantage of the current high price of oil, while Japan will be striving to develop oil sources that it can claim as its own. The Japanese government is hoping to be able to secure up to 40 percent of its own crude-oil supply by 2030 by owning its own oil sources abroad. "It is significant for Japan to secure crude oil on a long-term, stable basis," JBIC Governor Kyosuke Shinozawa said. UAE is the second-largest oil provider to Japan after Saudi Arabia. Abe's aggressive diplomatic endeavors, both with the Middle East and his stance on North Korea, have certainly been welcomed by voters back home. According to a poll conducted by Japanese financial daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun over the weekend, support for the Abe administration has risen 10 percentage points since March to 53 percent. Support for the government increased for the first time since Abe took office last September, as many voters stated that they now have more confidence in the prime minister and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Abe will be heading to Kuwait, Qatar and Egypt later this week.
Source: United Press International Email This Article
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