The Japanese leader with Abbas (Archive)
Photo: Reuters
Koizumi’s visit to the Israeli Embassy
Photo: Israeli Embassy in Tokyo
Kube with Cohen, humus with Badr
Japanese prime minister dines with Egyptian ambassador one week after Israeli envoy hosts Israeli-style dinner for him
TOKYO - It seems Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has managed to maintain a fair and balanced consideration for both eastern and western diplomats.
While just over a week ago Koizumi was seen eating falafel and kube at a dinner hosted by Israel's Ambassador to Japan Eli Cohen, this week the Japanese leader enjoyed tasting Egyptian delicacies at ambassador Hisham Badr's official residence.
Koizumi’s office received an invitation from the Egyptian embassy inviting him to join Badr for an authentic Middle Eastern meal.
Badr organized an Egyptian-style dinner for the prime minister and invited several Arab ambassadors to join them, including a Palestinian Authority delegate.
Dinner and a concert
“It’s always nice strengthening ties with my Arab friends,” Koizumi told reporters upon leaving his authentic Egyptian feast and after thoroughly enjoying the Humus he had been served.
Israel’s Ambassador Eli Cohen hosted an evening for the Japanese leader at his official residence last week complete with a concert and an Israeli-style dinner.
“As soon as I became ambassador I began looking into how I may bring Koizumi to the ambassador’s residence,” Cohen said. “We gathered intelligence and found out he enjoys classical music very much, especially piano and violin. We worked on this for about a year, until it finally worked out.”
