What to expect as Japan’s Fumio Kishida embarks on four-day Middle East tour

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida left Japan on Sunday for a tour of the Middle East, becoming the first Japanese leader to do so since the late Shinzo Abe embarked on a similar trip in 2020.

Kishida will arrive in Saudi Arabia on July 16, followed by a visit to the UAE on Monday, and finally Qatar on July 18. The multi-nation tour is expected to help Japan bolster its relations with GCC countries and build cooperation in different fields, especially energy.

Abe visited Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Oman on his trip. Unfortunately, he was assassinated by a shooter during a campaign rally on July 8 last year. He left a legacy of strong relations with several countries – relations that his predecessor appears eager to continue.

Energy Security And Green Transition In Focus

The three countries Kishida will be stopping at on his trip are responsible for over 80% of Japan’s total crude oil imports.

Amid energy supply concerns triggered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the leader is expected to call on the Arab world to increase production and stabilize the oil market.

In line with its ambition to become carbon neutral by 2050, Japan is actively developing renewable energy technologies. With COP28 taking place later this year in Dubai, Kishida also plans to discuss cooperation on cutting emissions by promoting a transition to hydrogen power.

Japanese Companies Could Expand Investment Opportunities

The prime minister was originally expected to visit the Middle East last year. But his trip was called off after he contracted the COVID-19 infection.

On July 13, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, Matsuno Hirokazu, said the brutal conflict in Ukraine and other international problems would be a part of the agenda during Kishida’s meetings.

Japanese companies with also get a chance to expand investment opportunities in the region as a delegation of Japanese businesspeople would be accompanying Kishida this time, Matsuno added.

Kishida will hold discussions on a number of different topics, including bilateral relations, with his counterparts during the trip, a foreign ministry statement said. He is scheduled to arrive back in Tokyo on Wednesday.

Europe Closely Monitoring The Tour

During Abe’s trip to Saudi Arabia, tensions with Iran were on the rise. But diplomatic ties between the two Arab countries have now been restored following an agreement brokered this year by China.

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Before his Middle East tour, the Japanese prime minister was seen attending a NATO summit in Lithuania on July 12. He met South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on the sidelines of the meeting, with both discussing the ongoing controversy over Japan’s plans to release treated radioactive wastewater from the now crippled Fukushima power plant into the Pacific.

European leaders will be keeping a close eye on Kishida’s Middle East tour as they, too, consider their own energy security prospects and options for green transition.