Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will visit the Middle East from Saturday, hoping to ease regional tensions that have soared after the US killing of a top Iranian general.
Japanese government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said on Friday that the January 11-15 trip to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Oman would go ahead.
Abe will also seek to explain Tokyo’s decision to deploy a military vessel and two patrol planes to the region to “ensure safety of Japan-related vessels,” AFP reports.
“To avoid further escalation of the tense situation in the Middle East, [Abe] will exchange opinions with the three countries,” Suga said. “In each of the countries, we plan to ask for cooperation in ensuring a stable energy supply and the safety of vessels.”