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As Japan prepares for Olympics, ex-Saudi envoy recalls 1964 Tokyo Games

The Tokyo Games was a declaration that Japan had regained its position in the community of nations, and was reflecting the spirit of sportsmanship under the slogan “Peace and Harmony,” Mohammed Bashir Ali Kurdi said. (Shutterstock)
The Tokyo Games was a declaration that Japan had regained its position in the community of nations, and was reflecting the spirit of sportsmanship under the slogan “Peace and Harmony,” Mohammed Bashir Ali Kurdi said. (Shutterstock)
11 Dec 2019 09:12:44 GMT9
11 Dec 2019 09:12:44 GMT9

Staff Writer Dubai

Mohammed Bashir Ali Kurdi, the former Saudi ambassador to Japan, vividly remembers the summer of 1963 in Tokyo. The year marked the beginning of his diplomatic career. 

“That year, Japan as a nation, its emperor and the government came together to dust off the effects of the devastating war following its defeat in World War II,” he told Arab News Japan.

The Tokyo Games was a declaration that Japan had regained its position in the community of nations, and was reflecting the spirit of sportsmanship under the slogan “Peace and Harmony,” he said.

“Days before the Olympics began, homes and roads in Tokyo were decorated with flowers. The facades of its buildings, roads and corridors were washed, removing the dust of allied air-raid bombs,” Kurdi added.

The ports of the Arabian Peninsula had enriched Far Eastern cities since the dawn of history with their knowledge and sciences, he said.

“Many terms have been translated from Arabic into Japanese. The address of the embassy neighborhood at that time ended with the word “Minat-Ku” and “Minato-Ku,” (port destination). The port of Tokyo was within sight of our embassy,” he added.

Another item that drew Kurdi’s attention during his time in Japan was the name of its favorite rice wine, served in port bars.

“The word ‘sake’ may have been derived from the word ‘saki’ in Arabic, which means bartender,” he said.

Port bars used to be frequented by sailors from different countries, many of whom could not speak Japanese, so they used the Arabic word “saki” to call the bartender, Kurdi added. Thus the term used to call the bartender became the name of the drink.

“It’s common knowledge that sailors from the south of the Arabian Peninsula took the lead in reaching the ports of the Far East, including those of Japan,” he said.

“It’s not surprising that they left their mark wherever they stopped, including some of their Arabic words.”

Kurdi highlighted the bond that exists between Saudi Arabia and Japan. “Our two countries must work together with determination to strengthen fraternity and kinship ties, and to stimulate cultural, technical and economic exchanges,” he said.

Kurdi added that the Japan-Saudi Friendship Association, which was once headed by well-known economist Yamashita San, made immense contributions in introducing the Kingdom to the world.

“We shouldn’t also forget the Japan Muslim Association, the majority of whose members were employees of the Japanese-Arabian Oil Co., one of the companies that relied upon our oil and gas products to run its factories,” said Kurdi.

“Most of these members used to speak, read and write Arabic proficiently because Japan sent many of them to Egypt and Sudan before World War II,” he added.

“With the loss of Japan in World War II, many of them returned to their country and converted to Islam.”

Kurdi recalled Prof. Umar Mita, then-head of the Japan Muslim Association, who devoted himself to translating the Holy Qur’an into Japanese.

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