Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Japan’s Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio is making his first tour to the Middle East this week since the late Abe Shinzo’s visit in 2020.

On July 16, Kishida will arrive in Jeddah. He will then travel to the UAE and finally to Qatar on July 18. The trip is set to improve Japan’s ties with GCC countries and cooperation in various fields, most specifically stable oil supplies.

The oil supply of the three countries to Japan represents more than 80 percent of its total crude oil imports, with Saudi Arabia representing 40.68 percent of Japan’s total oil imports since the beginning of the year.

Amid Russia’s war against Ukraine, which has resulted in uncertainties regarding energy supplies, Kishida intends to urge the Arab countries to stabilize the oil market through increased production.

With COP28 soon taking place in the UAE, Kishida will also discuss cooperation with the Middle East nations to cut greenhouse gas emissions through electricity generation utilizing hydrogen and ammonia, methods that Japan is promoting.

Kishida had planned to visit the three countries last year, but his tour was canceled after he contracted COVID-19.

On July 13, Chief Cabinet Secretary MATSUNO Hirokazu told a news conference that among the topics at Kishida’s meetings during his Middle East tour will be the international situation, including Ukraine, which has been under Russia’s military aggression.

Matsuno noted that a delegation of Japanese businesspeople will be joining Kishida on his tour, which will help Japanese companies expand business and investment opportunities in the region.

During his visit, the Prime Minister will also hold meetings with the leaders of these countries to discuss a wide range of topics, such as bilateral relations, a statement by the ministry said. 

“Through this visit, Prime Minister Kishida intends to confirm cooperation with each country in various fields, including energy, and to promote the maintenance and enhancement of the free and open international order based on the rule of law in light of the outcome of the G7 Hiroshima Summit,” the statement added.

Kishida is scheduled to depart from Tokyo and arrive at Jeddah on July 16. The Japan-Saudi Arabia Summit and other meetings will be held on the same day. 

On July 17, Kishida will depart from Jeddah, heading to Abu Dhabi and holding the Japan-United Arab Emirates Summit and other meetings. 

Prime Minister Kishida will then depart from Abu Dhabi on July 18 for Doha, where the Japan-Qatar Summit will be held, among other bilateral meetings.

Kishida is scheduled to arrive back in Tokyo on July 19.

In 2020, Abe went on a Middle East tour, in which he visited Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Oman. During his time in the Kingdom, he met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in AlUla, where they discussed regional developments.

At the time, tensions with neighboring Iran were on the rise. However, Kishida is now visiting at a time when diplomatic ties have been restored following an agreement brokered by China.

Abe had also promised that Japan would fully support Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s reform efforts through the Saudi-Japan Vision 2030, a cooperation framework that has existed since 2016.

The Crown Prince also expressed full support at the time for Japan’s dispatch of a Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer and patrol aircraft to the Middle East.

Abe also got the full support from the Crown Prince for an MSDF mission, which aimed at gathering information to ensure safe navigation by ships related to Japan in the region.

TIMELINE:

1955 – Official diplomatic ties were established between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Japan

1960 – The first Japanese Embassy in Saudi Arabia was established in Jeddah

1971 – King Faisal bin Abdul Aziz visited Tokyo to strengthen bilateral relations between the two nations, launching an important stage in the history of Saudi-Japanese relations

1981 – Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, who were Crown Prince and Princess at the time, visited Saudi Arabia

2000 – Japan is the third-largest trading partner of Saudi Arabia and by the end of this year, Japan had already invested more than three billion US dollars in the Kingdom

2017 – King Salman bin Abdulaziz visited Japan and had a meeting with former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo in Tokyo, to discuss Saudi-Japan Vision 2030

2020 – Abe met Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in AlUla, and agreed to maintain efforts that would ensure stability and peace in the region.

Two P-3C patrol planes of the MSDF set out on their mission in January 2020 and the MSDF’s Takanami destroyer left for the Middle East on Feb. 2 of that year. According to Japanese media, the mission was extended and left the Middle East on Dec. 26, 2021.

The two leaders agreed then to maintain efforts that would ensure stability and peace in the region.

The late prime minister visited AlUla during his visit and helped cast a spotlight on the ancient Nabataean site, which opened its doors to the public later that year.

During his trip, Abe met with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman. They confirmed their cooperation toward the successes of the G20 meetings, which were hosted by Saudi Arabia in 2020.

In their discussions at the time, the king expressed expectations that his country and Japan would deepen their strategic partnership in various fields, not only in the energy sector.

That was the fifth meeting between the two leaders since the start of Abe’s administration in December 2012. At that time, King Salman was crown prince.

Before his Middle East tour, Kishida embarked on a trip to Lithuania and attended a NATO summit on July 12. He asked for NATO’s increased commitment to the Indo-Pacific region to counter China’s military activities.

The Japanese prime minister held talks with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and discussed a new Japan-NATO document on space cooperation.

During the NATO Summit, member countries failed to agree on a plan to establish a liaison office in Tokyo, Stoltenberg said July 12.

“The issue of a liaison office is still on the table. It will be considered in the future,” Stoltenberg said at a press conference after a two-day NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.

France has opposed the Tokyo office plan out of concerns about a backlash from China. French President Emmanuel Macron told a press conference that the Indo-Pacific is not the North Atlantic

Kishida also met South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on the sidelines of the NATO summit, outlining Japan’s plans to release treated water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the ocean.

In Lithuania, Kishida also held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to pledge Tokyo’s continued assistance to Kyiv in its fight against Russia’s invasion.

In Belgium on July 13, Kishida met European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to discuss security and economic cooperation.