Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Japan is making preparations for a meeting of foreign ministers from Japan and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states in Saudi Arabia in early September, Arab News Japan learned Monday. 

A source at the GCC secretariat confirmed the meeting and said the Japan-GCC FM ministers’ meeting is “expected to be held in the first week of September.”

Japan aims to strengthen ties with oil-producing countries to ensure a stable energy supply from the Middle East, where the influence of the United States is declining while China’s influence is rising.

Japan’s Foreign Minister HAYASHI Yoshimasa will attend the meeting and may also visit Egypt and Jordan, media sources said.

The GCC is a union of six countries in the Gulf region: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain.

Japanese Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio visited the Middle East in July when Japan and the GCC announced the resumption of talks on a free trade agreement.

The foreign ministers are expected to discuss a free trade deal and technical cooperation in next-generation energy sources, Kyodo News said, adding that Iran’s nuclear programme may also be on the agenda.

Resource-poor Japan is trying to beef up its energy security, as it remains highly dependent on imports of oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG). It relies on the Middle East for more than 90% of its crude oil. 

*With Reuters