The Asahi Shimbun ☆☆◎● 第３種郵便物認可 Opinion Monday, May 15, 2006 23 HARON AMIN, Afghanistan’s ambassador EDITORIALS The sun rises in both Afghanistan and Japan Special to The Asahi Shimbun today. side mosques. And in Prince With Brahmanism’s de- Afghanistan, many custom Ayub, vic- Headline38 Afghanistan and Japan’s cline around 232 B.C., Ma- of bowing ever so slightly tor of the lasting influences on each hayana Buddhism’s gestation dates back to ancient times. Second other go widely unrecog- in Gandhara spread along During the seventh centu- Anglo- Subhead nized. Surprisingly, they the commercial Silk Road to ry Sui and T’ang dynasties a Afghan share similar historical par- China, the Korean Peninsula large number of Afghan Bud- War was Callouts allels. The people of both na- and Japan. Under the Kushan dhist monks such as the fa- the first tions possess a sense of dynasty (100-500), monas- mous Hushien went to China Afghan to romantic patriotism and love teries proliferated through- and on to North America to visit for freedom. out Gandhara, where preach Buddhism. In 632, Japan. He Around the sixth century, statue-making evolved into when the Chinese pilgrim visited for Haron Amin the inhabitants of present- the first human portrayal of Xuanzang visited one British and Russian govern- day Afghanistan gave their the Buddha. The Bamiyan Afghanistan, he recorded month February 1907. As ments asked Afghan authori- land a new name—“Kho- Buddha statues were carved 1,230 Buddhist temples and Adm. Heihachiro Togo’s ties to hand over all Axis rasan,” meaning “The Abode after this and the Buddha counted more than 8,000 guest of honor, Ayub was diplomatic and non-diplo- of the Rising Sun.” Japan, statues in Nara and Kyoto monks. well received in celebrations matic personnel. In the end, meanwhile, became known are a direct influence. The first object to come to marking Asian victories over only the repatriation of non- as Nippon or Nihon, or Afghanistan and Japan al- Japan from Afghanistan was European powers. Togo was diplomatic members was ac- “Land of the Rising Sun.” so share a common culture lapis lazuli—known here as the hero of the Russo-Japan- cepted on the condition that Both Zoroastrianism and of shame. In this regard, ruri, and treated in Bud- ese war (1904-1905). The vic- they be escorted by an Buddhism spread eastward there are hundreds of com- dhism as one of the “seven tories sent rays of hope to Afghan delegation through In- from Afghanistan to China mon traits and customs. Fur- treasures” which shine in many colonized countries dia to a neutral country. and the latter eventually ther, Japanese and Afghan heaven. Belts and mirrors worldwide. The prince vis- In April 1969, King Zahir made it to Japan. The annu- funeral rites are quite simi- decorated with lapis can be ited regiments of the Impe- Shah and Queen Homaira al March 12 Shunie Otaimat- lar. Additionally, as in Bud- found in Shosoin and at the rial Japanese Guard in their paid an official one-week state su Festival involves burning dhist and Shinto temples Todaiji temple in Nara. In barracks and a military col- visit to Japan. On June 5, 1971, trees for religious purposes, where people toss coins in- Osaka, gold lace that was ex- lege for officers as well as then Crown Prince Akihito a Zoroastrian practice still to a wooden box, we deposit cavated was an exact match the principal naval dockyard, and Crown Princess Michiko carried out in Afghanistan money into a big bowl out- of one dug from an ancient where he met Naval Com- arrived in Kabul for a six-day Shiberghan site in mander-in-Chief Adm. state visit. Afghanistan. Hikonojo Kamimura. He was However, the new era of Around the eighth centu- received by the minister of cooperation and exchange on ry a movement known as the war, Count Sigenobu Oku- political, economic and cul- Ayyaran, or “secret gallant ma, and generals Yasukata tural matters was short-lived. knights,” emerged in Oku and Maresuke Nogi. This was because of the mil- Afghanistan under the moral In Afghanistan, both mod- itary intervention of codes of helping the desti- ernists and nationalists had Afghanistan by the former tute, persisting patiently been greatly impressed with Soviet Union in 1979. Japan through hardship, acting Japan’s success in the Rus- condemned Moscow and sub- with a generous heart, and so-Japanese War and viewed sequently suspended all its telling the truth. It eventu- the country as one that projects in Afghanistan. ally posited a sort of nonin- could modernize while re- Tokyo, meantime, actively stitutional national authority taining its traditions. Also, supported the resistance against foreign occupation in 1914, Afghanistan’s King movement by the Afghan and domestic repression. Habibullah Khan donated Mujahedeen and provided Their emphasis on bravery £1000 for victims of three generous assistance to and fair play was put to the earthquakes in Japan. Afghan refugees. test as they mastered In order to make prepara- In November 2001, for the wrestling, marksmanship, tions for a commercial treaty first time since World War swordsmanship, stick fight- between Afghanistan and II, Japan partook in a mission ing and horse riding. Japan and seek Japanese sup- known as “The Pacific Fleet” Similarly, Bushido or “the port, Mahendra Pratap, who in the Indian Ocean to help way of the warrior,” includ- established the first provi- coalition aircraft refuel in ed a highly developed sense sional government of India in support of international of justice or rectitude, Kabul in December 1915, vis- troops in Afghanistan. Since courage, benevolence, po- ited Japan from 1922 to 1937 2001, Japan has delivered liteness, veracity and sin- under an Afghan passport. As more than $1.1 billion (130 bil- cerity, honor, honesty, a friend of King Amanullah lion yen) for the reconstruc- loyalty to the state and one’s (1919-1928), he appealed to tion and development of lord, self control and sep- Japanese revolutionaries, es- Afghanistan. puku (disembowelment.) pecially Mitsuru Toyama. The underpinnings which From an early age, samurai On Nov. 19, 1930, the have caused the Japan- were taught spear and sword Afghan-Japanese Treaty of Afghan similarities are root- Headline fighting, jujutsu (primitive- Friendship was signed in Lon- ed in a common heritage, style judo), archery, horse- don. This resulted in an ex- which was the product of the manship, military tactics, change of diplomatic Silk Road, a passage which Subhead ethics, literature, history and missions. connected Europe with Asia. calligraphy. In 1932, Japan invited six There is, therefore, a strong With the launch of mod- Afghan students for higher basis for future cultural and ern reforms in Afghanistan learning, one of whom be- diplomatic ties between and Japan, respectively in came chief justice and anoth- Japan and Afghanistan that 1863 and 1868, both the Ay- er, a deputy prime minister. continue to thrive and ex- KAZURO TAKAKURA yaran and the samurai van- During World War II, de- pand for the benefit of both Buddhas of Bamiyan ished. spite Afghan neutrality, the nations. POINT OF VIEW/ Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx Headline32 VOX POPULI, VOX DEI Headline36 Advertising Dept. Tel.: (03) 5541-8149 Fax: (03) 5565-9502 Japan's Leading National Newspaper E-mail: [email protected] ESTABLISHED 1879 Business Dept. Tel.: (03) 5541-8695 Kotaro Akiyama Fax: (03) 5541-8696 President and Chief Executive Officer E-mail: [email protected] ENGLISH EDITION Subscription & Delivery: ¥3,900 a month. 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