Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Photojournalist Rei Shiva has many ties to the Arab world and his daughter, Aisha, is seeking closer ties with Arab and Islamic culture, which is reflected in an exhibition of their works on display in Tokyo.

Aisha’s father is a well-known photojournalist in Japan, traveling through theaters of war and conflict from Palestine to Iraq, Jordan to Ukraine.

Aisha, who is Japanese, has never had the opportunity to go to the Middle East but shares with her father a passion for animal photography and an interest in the Middle East. 

Her photos are of birds and cats taken in various parts of Japan. Like her father, she works with a digital Fujifilm camera that resembles older analog cameras. Some of her photos of Saudi Arabian cats have been published in the youth section of the Mainichi newspaper.

Aisha writes a monthly essay for the Mainichi Shogakusei newspaper, published by the well-known Mainichi newspaper company. The theme is the preservation of the global environment and ecosystems. Aisha uses her photographs and writings to convey the fascination of living creatures and emphasize the importance of conservation.

Rei Shiva said he named his daughter Aisha “because I have been reporting in Iraq and Palestine for many years and I love the people and culture of the Middle East. I am not a Muslim, but I respect the kindness of the Muslim people and their spirit of helping each other.”