Prime Minister Koizumi
Photo: Reuters
Japan to aid Israel become OECD member
Japan's foreign minister agrees to help promote Israel's accession to developed countries' organization
Japanese Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki vowed he would act to promote the accession of Israel to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Israel's leading daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported Sunday that the Israeli ambassador in Japan Eli Cohen met with the finance minister recently and requested his help on the matter.
Cohen presented Tanigaki, the leading candidate to take current Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's place in the future, with economic figures that show Israel is the number one Western country in terms of growth.
The Japanese minister said he would ask his Ministry's officials to assist Israel with being accepted into the organization. Tanigaki also noted he had already heard of Israel's economic successes from Prime Minister Ehud Olmert while the latter was still serving as finance minister, during the last G7 summit in London.
The ambassador also requested that Japanese banks extend a line of credit to local companies interested in investing in Israel, and the minister agreed to address the matter favorably.
Israel has recently asked Australia to also help it to become an OECD member.
