ABSTRACT
The oil war came as a shock to the Western industrialized countries, which had never seriously considered the prospect that one day they might face a major ‘energy’ problem. However, within a short period of time, the potency of the oil weapon became obvious. Arab oil-exporting countries succeeded in disrupting the life-style of every major industrial power, caused fissures in the Atlantic Alliance, precipitated an upset in the international monetary situation, and prompted the Middle East. The Ramadan war proved beyond a shadow of a doubt Japan’s basic political and economic vulnerability. When it realized that its political ‘neutrality’ was an affront to the Arabs, Japan followed Europe’s example, and on 22 November 1973 the Japanese Cabinet announced that it might reconsider its policy towards Israel. Then, on 23 December, Japan appealed to Israel to withdraw to the 22 October cease-fire line as a first step towards total withdrawal from occupied Arab territories.
