Interview: Yoichi Watanabe

We were recently able to have a short phone interview with Yoichi Watanabe, a photo journalist and recent celebrity on Japanese talk shows. In his interview he was quite candid about his experiences in Afghanistan with the Afghan peoples.

Friends of Afghanistan: How did you get interested in Afghanistan and decide to go there?

Yoichi Watanabe: It is because I was curious about Afghanistan’s real situation compared to what was on TV and wanted to see it with my own eyes.

FA: Was there anything which made a strong impression on your visit to Afghanistan?

YW: I was impressed by kindness of the Afghan people and how much they value their family.

FA: What aspects of Afghanistan’s current condition do you want to let people know?

YW: Afghanistan is not only a battlefield. Its government and business have kept developing. I want people to know there is hope for the country.

FA: How do you think Afghanistan has been improving itself and how should it overcome difficulties it now faces?

YW: The education environment has been building and women’s chances of receiving education have been improving. Since multinational forces have left Afghanistan I’ve been feeling that the situation, which there are still a lot of conflicts in politics and among tribes, should improve.

FA: How do you want Afghan children’s views to be for the future?

YW: I want them to value its history and tradition and feel that Afghanistan is bound by rigid ties with Japan and the world.

FA: Were there any moments in with you felt moved by the Afghan people?

YW: I was impressed so many times. People pay great respect to elderly people and those who are in trouble. They are very kind and considerate to everyone.

FA: What do you feel was your role as a cameraman in Afghanistan? How do you want to contribute to the country?

YW: I can bridge a gap between people’s image and the way it actually is. I would like to make opportunities for people to get to know Afghanistan.

FA: What attitude do Afghans have toward Japanese people from your experiences?

YW: There are many Japonophiles in Afghanistan. I was glad to know that the people want to know Japan more. I could confirm that Afghanistan and Japan have a deep connection.

Afghanistan's continued support of victims of Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami

Local Afghans donate over 1,800,000 Yen to support victims

Support and aid to the March 11, Tohoku quake and tsunami victims has not been limited to the previously mentioned donations from the Kandahar local government and residents of Bamiyan. On April 7, Ambassador Sayed M. Amin Fatimie gathered at the Embassy with over 20 leading Afghan residents of Japan to express their condolences, solidarity, and support. The members who joined represented all ethnicities and groups in Afghanistan, and included both men and women.

The goal of the meeting was to discuss ways in which Afghan residents in Japan could offer their direct support of the victims. The result was a decision to pool money from the attendees as well as a general collection from Afghan residents not present at the meeting. This money will go into buying supplies which will be hand delivered to survivors in the hardest hit areas.

As of the second meeting on April 12, 1,841,000 Yen has been raised for supplies, which I have been informed will be delivered to families relocated from Fukushima to Ibaraki and which are currently residing in temporary shelters. A team of fourteen representatives will deliver the goods. The team will be headed by Ambassador Fatimie, Mr. Jafar Ahmadyar, Mr. Haji Hussein, Mr. Amin Kohi, and Ms. Eto Sedeka. The team will also be accompanied by an NHK News crew.

This generous donation by the Afghans living in Japan truly shows their support and resolve in standing by their Japanese brothers and sisters in this time of crisis.


US$1 million in aid donated to Japan’s relief efforts by the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

(photo: H.E. President Hamid Karzai signs the Book of Condolence at the Japanese Embassy in Kabul, expressing His and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan’s deep sadness over the massive loss of life and property in Japan, following a series of natural disasters. On the right stands H.E. Ambassador Reiichiro Takahashi of Japan. On the left stands H.E. Foreign Minister Dr. Zalmai Rassoul.)

From the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Website

March 29, 2011: H.E. Dr. Zalmai Rassoul, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and H.E. Dr. Muhammad Omar Zakhilwal, Minister of Finance, met with H.E. Ambassador Reiichiro Takahashi at the Embassy of Japan in Kabul and, on behalf of H.E. President Hamid Karzai and the Government and people of Afghanistan, presented him with a check for US$1 million to support relief efforts following March 11’s massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami. The funds are to be used for general support provisions for the people of the Tohoku region who continue to suffer greatly from the effects of this tragedy.

This contribution is in addition to donations from local governments, such as Mayor Hamidi of Kandahar’s US$50,000 contribution, as well as donations from non-governmental and private sources.