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Japan's New Image:
Aide In Mideast
Washington (JTA) — Within
the Jewish community here,
Japan has. never been view-
ed as a positive force in Mid-
dle East affairs.
But now, especially in the
wake of the historic Israeli-
Palestinian accord, there is a
sense among American Jew-
ish and Israeli officials that
Japan is beginning to play a
useful role in the region.
"There really has been a
flurry of activity" which "all
points to a real front and
center role for Japan," said
Dan Mariaschin, director of
international, governmen-
tal, and Israel affairs for
B'nai B'rith, who recently
returned from a trip to
Japan sponsored by the
Japanese government.
In the past, Japan was best
known in pro-Israel circles
for its adherence to the Arab
economic boycott of Israel
and for the public fascina-
tion with anti-Semitic litera-
ture.
However, in recent years,
especially since the Gulf
War, Japan has been seek-
ing a prominent role in the
Middle East.
"We tried to make, where
possible, contributions in
international conflicts," said
Hideo Sato, first secretary in
the political section of the
Japanese Embassy here.
"The Middle East was one
area where we thought we
could play a positive role be-
cause of our good relations
with Arab countries," Mr.
Sato said.
And to play that role, the
Japanese government had to
upgrade its relations with
Israel, Mr. Sato noted.
The Japanese are now
talking about being more
"evenhanded" in their deal-
ings with the Middle East,
Jewish leaders here say.
To most American Jews,
the term "evenhanded"
when used in connection
with the Middle East has a
negative connotation.
But Mr. Mariaschin said
that in this case the term
should be construed positive-
ly.
Japanese and Israeli offi-
cials have been exchanging
visits, and Israeli Prime
Minister Yitzhak Rabin and
his new Japanese counter-
part, Morihiro Hosokawa,
are expected to host each
other on reciprocal visits
this coming year.
On the economic side,
where Japan is a global
powerhouse, the two coun-
tries have increased their
trade relations fourfold since
1986, according to Mr.
Mariaschin.
In 1992, Mr. Sato said,
trade between Israel and
Japan totaled $1.7 billion,
and Japan is now Israel's
second-largest trading part-
ner after the United States.
Japanese officials have
started speaking out against
the Arab boycott, and most
big Japanese companies are
now dealing with Israel.
This contrasts sharply
with the many years when
Japan adhered strongly to
the boycott, which negative-
ly affects both Israel and
companies doing business
with Israel.
An island nation, Japan
Dan Mariaschin:
Good news from the Orient.
has been heavily dependent
on Arab oil over the years.
As befits an economic
superpower, Japan pledged
$200 million over two years
at the recent donors con-
ference held here to raise
money for Palestinian de-
velopment projects.
Israel, which sees the im-
portance of Palestinian
economic development in the
West Bank and Gaza Strip,
strongly backed the idea of
the donors conference.
But Japan's involvement
in the peace process has gone
beyond its traditional finan-
cial role.
Japan has spearheaded
talks on the environment
between Israel, Arab par-
ticipants and others, as part
of the multilateral phase of
the peace process. Two
rounds of those talks were
held in Tokyo.
And Japan, which has an
economic relationship with
JAPAN page 114