Japan makes diplomatic efforts to ease tensions in Gulf

ABU DHABI: Japan , Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates would work together to de-escalate the volatile situation in the Region, a Japanese foreign ministry official said Monday, parroting remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The representative said that Japan’s strong relationship with both the United States and Iran has helped it to play a diplomatic position in defusing increased regional tensions after the U.S. killing of Iranian military commander General Qassem Soleimani and Iran’s preemptive missile attack on U.S. forces in Iraq.

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As part of the Middle East trip, Abe met with UAE rulers in Abu Dhabi on Monday, after going to Saudi Arabia on Sunday, and will head to Oman on Tuesday, for whom the ruler, Sultan Qaboos, died on Friday.

Last month, Japan’s Cabinet allowed the deployment of vessels and patrol aircraft to the region and on Friday directed them to go to the Middle East to defend ships delivering commodities to Japan.

Several assaults on foreign Gulf merchant vessels took place in May and June 2019, including the Japanese tanker Kokuka Courageous, accused by the United States of Iran, although Tehran rejects the claims.