ABSTRACT
The Arab relationship with Japan and China goes back as far as the sixth century AD through trade caravans and the well-known ‘Silk Road’. However, such contacts were limited and indirect. It was not until the beginning of the twentieth century that a sort of spiritual alliance took place between the Arabs and the Japanese. This alliance was the result of the Japanese-Russian War of 1904-5. The progress of the war and ultimate Japanese victory was thoroughly covered by the Arab press. The Arab nation, struggling for its own unity and independence, looked to the Japanese victory as an example of the ability of a non-Western country to put an end to Western domination. Such a feeling was captured by one of the greatest Arab poets of that era, Hafiz Ibrahim, who expressed the general feeling by saying:
Japan’s relationship with the Arab Gulf States started in 1957 with the conclusion of an oil agreement with Saudi Arabia and another in 1958 with Kuwait covering the neutral zone, in the face of considerable American and European competition. The terms agreed to by the Japanese were in both cases unprecedentedly rigorous and very favourable to both
countries. In the concession given by Kuwait the full concession period, including exploration, was only 44½ years. In the Saudi concession it was two years more. And in both the right of renewal was only partially assured, and not at all if a rival Kuwaiti or Saudi candidate were in the field. In place of the 50-50 plan for dividing profits, current in other Middle Eastern countries, 56 per cent was given to the Saudi interests and 57 per cent to Kuwait. An important stipulation of both concessions is the one that specifies no sale of oil may be made to enemies of the Arabs.
