TOKYO: “I took my family several times to Arab countries including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman,” says former Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Kazuyuki Hamada, who has a Ph.D. in international political economics.
Hamada, while he runs the Research Institute for Future Technologies, is also a best-selling author whose most recent book, “Elon Musk: his Next Target is IOB (Internet of Bodies)” was published in July.
He has a lot to say, particularly concerning relations between Japan and Arab countries, Asia and the political situation in Japan. And he believes that Arabic food could help with the coronavirus pandemic.
A permanent solution, he says, “may take a few more years, and we must find a way to live with the virus.” He said that besides the vaccine, there are many ways to tackle the pandemic, such as eating traditional Arabic food that may strengthen the immune system. He also gave the example of Japanese dish natto, a traditional food made by fermenting soybeans.
“Natto has a long life,” he said. “I think we can easily export it to Arab countries.”
Hamada’s outlook is international and he emphasizes the need for close cooperation between countries.
“I am trying to build a comprehensive network of friends and supporters to promote more robust international networks,” he explained. “As long as Japan can survive, we need a solid and respectful working relationship with the international community — not only with the United States, but also with China and many other Asian and Arab countries.”
He accused the Japanese government and political leadership of “not caring much about the international community.” As such, he wants change.
“I believe that, based on my own experience as a vice foreign minister who was in charge of the Middle East and Europe, I am trying to pursue a new direction for Japanese diplomacy and economic and cultural exchanges with these countries. I am sure that these trustworthy international relations will strengthen Japan’s standing in the coming years. Now I am trying to get as many friends as possible from Japan and overseas, including the Arab countries.”
On future Arab-Japan relations, Hamada referred to the many serious challenges facing Japan and the world, including energy, the environment and human rights. In terms of cooperation with Arab countries in alternative energy, he said that Japan could be a good partner.
“Japan has a history of nature-friendly technologies. Many Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman, have sprawling deserts. We have a special research institute for using natural sand for energy production. I am very interested in promoting this potential and co-working cooperation between Japan and the Arab countries.”
On the problems facing the world, he said, “No country can solve them alone. We need a robust partnership. Being a future political leader, I am trying to pave the way for making this kind of dream possible. Today, I am still working behind the scenes to find good, trustworthy friends, not only in Japan but also in many other countries and most of the Arab countries.”
Asked about his assessment of the Japanese government’s response to the coronavirus, Hamada said that Japanese politicians and government officials are “too influenced by media and exaggerated news coverage. They should be more confident about what they are doing.” He said that 99 percent of the 4,000 cases of coronavirus in Tokyo recovered naturally.” He stressed the need for people to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Hamads criticized the government’s measures, including closing restaurants by 8 pm, stopping the sale of alcohol in restaurants and bars, and staying home, as measures that “frustrate and frighten people.” But his words on vaccines were equally disturbing. “The safety of vaccines has not yet been proven,” he said. “There are a lot of reports of side-effects.” Hamada also criticized the vaccine gap between developed and developing countries.
“We were surprised that Prime Minister (Yoshihide) Suga invited the president of the US company Pfizer to attend the Tokyo Olympics and allowed him to stay in the Imperial Guest House. Not only did Suga meet him, but the minister in charge of the corona vaccine campaign, (Taro) Kono, also went so far as to demand an increase in vaccine supplies,” he said. “It’s a very prosperous business. They charge the Japanese government almost 15 percent higher than the regular price in the United States.”
Hamada criticized patent protection for vaccines, as “those patents are made only possible for international support from the American government and Bill Gates’ foundations.” He added: “Humanity should be more cooperative. They donated 40,000 doses to the Tokyo Olympics but they are still demanding higher prices. Politicians need to pay attention to that.” Hamada said that the Russian Sputnik 5 vaccine is “not so effective,” and the situation in China was becoming worse.
Hamada was not impressed by Prime Minister Suga’s decision to go ahead with the Tokyo Olympics. “He tried to convince the people that holding the Tokyo Olympics was good for the nation. But many people are worried about how to beat the virus. The situation is getting worse.”
He said that opposition parties criticized the Suga government’s response to the pandemic as a failure of risk management. Hamada expects that “if this situation continues, the possibility of Suga being re-elected as the president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party of Japan is not so high.”
