Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi hosted a dinner at his office Monday for more than 40 Tokyo-based Muslim envoys observing a dawn-to-dusk fast during the holy month of Ramadan, the Foreign Ministry said, Ap reported. The dinner, Iftar, a feast after sunset, was aimed at «deepening understanding of Islamic culture and promoting mutual understanding through dialogue,» the ministry said in a statement. «We hope to further promote friendly relations between Japan and Islamic nations,» Koizumi was quoted by Kyodo News agency as saying before the guests. Koizumi told his guests from 44 countries that he skipped lunch to see what it was like not to be able to eat during the daytime.
