Yukio Okamoto, the Cabinet's foreign policy adviser, will visit areas neighboring Iraq next week to discuss what kind of humanitarian aid Japan can offer in connection with the war there, the government announced Friday.
Okamoto will visit Kuwait, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Egypt from Sunday to April 13 to meet with government officials, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said.
While studying the specific needs in those locations, Okamoto will also try to maintain Japan's traditionally friendly ties with Arab nations following Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's expression of unequivocal support of U.S. President George W. Bush in the war against Iraq.
"Exchanges with Arab nations are very important," Koizumi told reporters Friday. "I want (Okamoto) to take a good look at the situations in the countries neighboring Iraq."
Okamoto, a former career diplomat, said he is concerned about a surge in anti-U.S. sentiment in Arab countries.
"We don't see anti-Japanese sentiment yet, but I'm concerned about anti-U.S. feelings, because we are supporting the United States," he said.
"Japan has built good ties with Arab nations," he said. "On that basis, I want to explain Japan's position to those countries and discuss how Japan will deal with the Middle East after the war in Iraq."
Okamoto said he believes aid to the Palestinian Authority will be the "core" of Japan's Middle East assistance after the war. Japan has been providing humanitarian assistance to the authority in the hope that aiding the economically weak Palestinians will help broker peace with Israel.
Since the Iraq war broke out, Japan has provided $4.2 million in food aid to the Palestinian Authority and $100 million in grants for Jordan.