Japanese Foreign Minister's Visit to Iran: 'Important Opportunities for Both Countries'

The Japanese Foreign Minister is set to arrive in Tehran on Monday, as European countries have been sending their political-economic delegations to Iran since the day after the Vienna nuclear agreement to repair and expand their relations with Iran in the post-sanctions environment. Japan also sent its Deputy Minister of Economy and representatives from 21 major companies to Iran a month after the Vienna agreement to keep pace with European countries. According to the state news agency IRNA, citing Japanese media, the main focuses of Kishida's visit will be planning for the future economic relations between Tehran and Tokyo, as well as reviewing the latest developments in the Iran nuclear agreement with foreign powers. These media outlets also highlighted discussions for planning economic relations between the two countries in the post-sanctions environment as a key aspect of this visit, which holds special significance for the Japanese side. Since the establishment of relations between Iran and Japan in 1929, economic aspects have always been of particular importance. Daishiro Yamagiwa, Japan's Deputy Minister of Economy, expressed hope during his visit to Iran last month that these areas would be developed and new fields of cooperation would be defined. Meanwhile, the Fars news agency reported on Saturday, citing the Japan Times, that another goal of the Japanese Foreign Minister's visit is to create the groundwork for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's trip to Iran. The Japan Times states that the Japanese Prime Minister is likely to visit Iran by the end of the current calendar year. Before the sanctions against Iran, Japan was the second-largest importer of Iranian oil after China, and Japanese companies were involved in Iran's oil projects, including the Azadegan oil field. However, the Japanese government withdrew from these collaborations to comply with the fourth round of UN Security Council sanctions against the Islamic Republic and approved new economic sanctions against Iran.