Kyodo News: Japanese Prime Minister's Trip to Iran Canceled

Japanese media reported on Tuesday, July 3, citing officials from the country, that Shinzo Abe, the Prime Minister of Japan, has canceled his planned trip to Tehran this month due to increasing pressure from the United States on Iran. Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry stated that there was no plan for Mr. Abe's trip to Tehran that could be canceled. According to Japan's official news agency, Kyodo, the Japanese government was in the process of planning Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's trip to Tehran and his meeting with Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, this month, which could have been the first visit by a Japanese Prime Minister to Iran since 1978. The news agency quoted Japanese officials as saying that Tokyo recently informed Tehran that Mr. Abe would not be traveling to Iran. Kyodo wrote that this decision was influenced by U.S. actions to isolate Iran following Washington's withdrawal from the JCPOA. The U.S. government has asked Japan and its other allies to reduce oil imports from Iran to zero by November 4. However, Japanese government officials stated that Tokyo, which has traditionally maintained stable relations with Tehran, has informed the U.S. government that it cannot further reduce oil purchases from Iran due to the negative consequences such actions would have on the country's economy. For decades, Japan has relied on Iranian oil as one of its important energy sources, but according to statistics from Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Iranian oil currently only accounts for five percent of Japan's oil imports. Nevertheless, it is likely that Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, will attempt to encourage Japan to exert more pressure on Iran during his upcoming visit to Tokyo. Kyodo further reported that Tokyo will consider the possibility of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's trip to Tehran in light of the state of relations between Iran and the U.S. in the coming months. This report, however, elicited a response from Tehran, which categorically denied any planning for this trip. Bahram Qasemi, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, stated in an interview with Iranian news agencies: 'There has been no discussion or plan for the Prime Minister of Japan's trip to Iran that could be canceled under current circumstances, and the news published by some Japanese news agencies is fundamentally incorrect and completely false.' This Iranian official ultimately described Iran-Japan relations as 'very good' and 'long-standing' and said that while Tehran welcomes the expansion of relations with Japan 'as an old friend and partner at all levels, there has been no trip on the agenda in the foreseeable future.' The Prime Minister of Japan will embark on an eight-day trip starting next Wednesday, July 10, after visiting Brussels and Paris, traveling to Saudi Arabia and Egypt.