"Japan's Kishida Coordinates Mid-July Middle East Tour Including Saudi Arabia and UAE"

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is coordinating a tour schedule of Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Qatar around mid-July, Kyodo News reported on the 17th.

According to the report, Prime Minister Kishida is scheduled to depart around the 16th and hold talks with Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and others.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida [Photo by Yonhap News]

If the tour proceeds as planned, it will be the first visit to the Middle East by a Japanese prime minister since former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in January 2020. Kyodo News also reported that Kishida had planned a Middle East tour last August but canceled it due to COVID-19 infection.

During this tour, Kishida is expected to urge market stabilization through increased crude oil production and discuss technological cooperation for realizing a decarbonized society.