Najia Houssari, Beirut

Japan gives special attention to Lebanon and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and considers preventive diplomacy as an effective tool to consolidate peace in the region, a Japanese official representing Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in the Middle East region has said. 

According to him, Japan has been conducting various cooperation to countries in the region while remaining politically/historically neutral and that the country plays runs an important humanitarian assistance program as well as development cooperation for Human Security and Quality Growth under the auspices of JICA. 

Speaking exclusively to Arab News, Sakamoto Takema, Director-General of the Middle East and Europe Department of JICA, said the agency’s focus now is on Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine in the region. 

According to Sakamoto, those undertaking humanitarian efforts in the region must face unique challenges. “JICA faces many challenges but the biggest one is the negative stereotype image of the security, social stability, corruption and very complex business processes in the region,” he said. 

Sakamoto said that JICA – which was established by the government of Japan in 1974 – continues to support refugees’ capacity development and their host countries service delivery in collaboration with various partners, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the World Bank. 

CBMs for peace 

To ensure regional stability, JICA supports the Middle East Peace Process through confidence-building measures (CBM) in the region. 

“It’s a difficult process. One successful model can be observed in the Balkans. We have worked to create cooperation through joint efforts with different ethnic groups, and these processes have led to confidence-building, especially in the field of education,” Sakamoto said. 

“Efforts are being made in Palestine, but it is very challenging as it is not the trial within one state,” he said, adding that his organization works on development and peace. 

“Without Israel, no understanding can be reached. Japan is a neutral state and it can count on it to achieve this solution. Unlike the Balkans, in Palestine issue, we need the cooperation of more than one state. The Palestinian issue needs the cooperation of Israel and Jordan as well,” he said. 

The neutrality ensures focus on projects that are the need of the hour. For instance, JICA continues to support the development and management capacity of the Jericho Agro-Industrial Park in Palestine, which is the flagship project of the Corridor for Peace and Prosperity initiative by Japan. 

According to Sakamoto, JICA’s core mission is focused on human security and development. “Quality growth ensures sustainability and self-sufficiency for people and stability for societies, all of which are part of a preventive diplomacy as a tool to consolidate peace,” he says. 

Knowledge and technology 

In another conversation with Arab News, Ai Odoriba, economic cooperation attaché at the Japanese embassy in Lebanon, said Japan has been providing technical assistance to Lebanese officials through JICA’s training program, utilizing Japanese technology, skills and knowledge. 

According to her, more than 190 Lebanese officials have participated in the training program in various sectors during the last 35 years. Besides extending support to many people, it has also built a network of alumni across the region. 

“The JICA Alumni Association, established by former JICA trainees, is very active with JICA’s follow-up support in Lebanon,” Odoriba said, “serving as a bridge to connect Japan with not only Lebanon but also with other countries in the Middle East”. Former officials of JICA Lebanon – also called Leba-Jica – say that the Japanese choose to work without much publicity and that the region should benefit from Japan’s expertise. 

Cultural exchange 

Antoine Ghorayeb, who established Leba-Jica in 1985 and was elected its first president, contributed to the understanding of Japan’s economic and social development projects in Lebanon as well as the cultural exchange between the two countries. 

Since then, Leba-Jica has achieved several objectives, by participating in activities organized by the embassy in cooperation with the JICA’s office in Syria and by implementing the action plans prepared by the association and financed by JICA headquarters. 

According to Director-General Sakamoto Takema, JICA seeks to establish sustainable development in the countries in which it operates but this cannot be achieved without economic growth. 

“We cannot achieve this development alone; we need the private sector to work with us. For that purpose, we can create an attractive environment for businessmen and investors,” he said.  

Sakamoto says JICA focuses on infrastructure and human capacity development. He cites the example of JICA providing a soft loan to Lebanon for the treatment of the sewage problem in Keserwan in the north and Sidon in the south. 

Syria to Beirut

Sakamoto didn’t comment, when asked, about the possibility of a decision to move the JICA office in Syria to Beirut. 

“The security situation and current international society’s position prevents covering needs in Syria directly, and there is also the issue of social cohesion. We are not a political institution. We are more of a development agency, and we are in no position to comment about the current political situation,” Sakamoto said. 

However, the organization is happy to be part of operations to support Syria if circumstances allow. “As of now, we need the political consensus to be in place among the government of Japan and the international community,” Sakamoto said, adding that they are encountering difficulty communicating with those inside Syria. 

On JICA’s activity in Lebanon, Sakamoto, said the situation is different. “It is true that the security remains an issue, but for us, Lebanon has a high per capita income compared to the per capita income in, say, Iraq,” he said. 

“We are happy to provide assistance to all countries, but the resources are limited and we have a big operation taking place in Iraq, for example, where we are working on infrastructure and human capacity development as well as others,” said Sakamoto. 

“We have to pay attention to the macro-economic situation in Lebanon. We are enthusiastic to expand our cooperation in Lebanon in various fields especially through technical cooperation, and a government-to-government bilateral technical cooperation agreement to be ratified by Lebanon government is awaited for the sake of it” he said.