Japanese PM meeting Abbas
Photo: Reuters
Sharon's non-response insults Japanese
Prime Minister Sharon received at least four invitations for official visit to Japan in last two months, but Japanese say Israel has yet to respond definitively
TOKYO – Officials seeking to strengthen Israel-Japan ties Israel expressed their disappointment this week that, despite repeated official invitations by the Japanese government, the Prime Minister's Office has yet to give a definitive response.
Israeli foot-dragging in giving an answer comes at a time when the country needs international support for its disengagement plan.
Sources said that the Japanese took the unusual Israeli reaction as an insult.
The non-response, said sources, also puts those trying to establish better relations between the two countries in an embarrassing position considering the number of attempts to raise the issue in the past.
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At least four invitations
Sharon got his first invitation to visit Japan in January when Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura arrived in Israel. Sharon then got another invitation when Industry and Trade Minister Ehud Olmert visited Japan in April.
In the middle of May, when Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas visited Japan, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi raised the issue of a Sharon visit during a press conference, adding that Sharon intended to come.
Japan, which financially supports the PA, has expressed its desire to get more involved in the peace process than it was before. The Japanese are seeking to change their go-it-alone image and to improve their chances of getting a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
At the end of May, Koizumi visited the Tokyo home of Israeli Ambassador in Japan Eli Cohen. The Japanese prime minister dined on Middle Eastern dishes such as kube and falafel and said that he looked forward to meeting Sharon, for whom he feels great respect.
Disengagement difficulties
However, despite all these invitations, Sharon's office has yet to respond, but sources close to the prime minister said that he could not visit Japan until after disengagement.
Still, Israeli sources in Japan said, "The matter has not been finalized."
Ambassador Cohen told Ynet that, for the time being, the Israeli answer was no because of the disengagement plan.
At the Japanese Foreign Ministry, a source told Ynet: "We know the subject is complex and sensitive and connected to disengagement, but meanwhile, we have not gotten a definitive response."
-- Diana Bahur-Nir contributed to this report.
