Japan’s Shinzo Abe heads to Middle East to help ease US-Iran tensions
- Abe will visit Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Oman, countries which Japan sees as important players in stabilising the situation in the Middle East
- He is aiming to win support for the dispatch of Japan’s defence forces to the region to ensure the safety of Japanese commercial ships operating there
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe embarked on a five-day trip to the Middle East on Saturday as part of Tokyo’s efforts to help reduce tensions in a critical region for resource-poor Japan.
The trip will take him to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, countries which Japan sees as important players in stabilising the situation in the Middle East, according to Japanese officials.
The visit precedes Tokyo’s dispatch of Self-Defence Forces (SDF) personnel and assets to the region to help secure the safe passage of shipping by enhancing intelligence-gathering capabilities. The SDF’s operational areas include the Gulf of Oman and part of the Arabian Sea.
“Japan will take its own initiative to tenaciously conduct peace diplomacy so as to ease tensions and stabilise the situation in the region,” Abe told journalists before leaving Tokyo’s Haneda airport.
Abe said he wants to win support from the three countries for the SDF dispatch to the region since it is vital to ensure the safety of Japanese commercial ships operating there.
In Saudi Arabia, Abe plans to meet with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday. He will travel to the UAE on Monday for a meeting with Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.