Japanese Prime Minister Interested in Visiting Iran

The Japanese newspaper 'Nikkei' reports that Shinzo Abe, the Prime Minister of Japan, has informed the Iranian government of his interest in visiting Tehran; if this visit occurs, it will be the first time in four decades that a Japanese Prime Minister travels to Iran. The media institute 'Nikkei', which owns the world's best-selling economic newspaper, states on March 8 that Shinzo Abe intends to make this potential trip in August, almost simultaneously with a visit he is scheduled to make to Kenya. The last time a Japanese Prime Minister visited Iran was in 1978, during the visit of Takeo Fukuda. Since the severance of relations between Iran and the United States, intergovernmental visits from Japan have been conducted at the ministerial level. Mohammad Khatami, the President of Iran, visited Tokyo in 2000. Previously, in February, Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, Iran's Minister of Oil, had mentioned the possibility of the Prime Minister's visit to expand cooperation. According to the English-language state television network of Iran, Mr. Zanganeh stated at that time that 'there are grounds for cooperation between the two countries in the fields of refineries, gas, petroleum products, investment, and financing projects.' According to the Nikkei newspaper, with the lifting of U.S. and European nuclear sanctions, Abe intends to engage in discussions to strengthen economic relations between the two sides. Japan is one of Iran's most important oil buyers and, during the sanctions, was among the main customers alongside China, India, or South Korea. Nevertheless, relations between the two sides have significantly been affected by sanctions related to Tehran's nuclear program. Tokyo announced at the beginning of February that it would lift sanctions and restrictions against Tehran with the implementation of the 'Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.' According to 'Nikkei', Iran is a market with a promising outlook; it has the largest gas reserves in the world, the fourth-largest oil reserves, and a population of 78 million. This Japanese media institute states that Mr. Abe's potential visit to Tehran will coincide with his trip to Kenya, scheduled for August 27-28. At that time, an economic delegation from senior officials in the automotive, trade, and energy sectors will accompany him. It is possible that the Japanese Prime Minister will also visit Saudi Arabia at that time, which supplies nearly 30% of Japan's oil. According to 'Nikkei', despite Iran's importance as an alternative energy source for Japan, Tokyo must maintain balance in diplomacy and establish good relations with both countries without taking sides. Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, and Shinzo Abe met last May on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific leaders' summit in Jakarta, Indonesia.