RIYADH, April 28, 2007 (AFP) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is due in Saudi Arabia on Saturday on the first leg of a Middle East tour, as the world’s second-largest economy aims to bolster its presence in a region crucial for its energy needs.
RIYADH, April 28, 2007 (AFP) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is due in Saudi Arabia on Saturday on the first leg of a Middle East tour, as the world’s second-largest economy aims to bolster its presence in a region crucial for its energy needs.
His visit comes just a day after the oil-rich kingdom said it had arrested a ring of alleged Al-Qaeda militants plotting airborne attacks on oil facilities and army bases, underscoring Japanese worries about stability in the region.
The Japanese leader will hold talks with King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, who is also defence minister.
He and a 180-strong business delagation will also meet Hashim Yamani, the minister of commerce and industry and senior business figures, according the Arab News.
"Economic and trade issues, investment opportunities and economic cooperation in energy will be discussed (during the meeting)," the Saudi daily said.
Abe will also visit Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on his five-day tour.
This is the second visit to the Middle East by a Japanese premier in less than a year. Abe’s predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi, traveled to Israel and its neighbors in July, saying Japan could be a neutral broker in the strife-torn region.
Japan has virtually no oil or gas reserves and relies on the four Gulf states that Abe will visit for more than 70 percent of its oil supply.
"The Middle East is drawing the world’s attention not just because of political conflicts or war but, in the end, its oil reserves," said Hiroshi Shiojiri, executive director of the Middle East Research Institute of Japan.
"Japan is reaffirming its significance at a time when the world is approaching the Middle East for energy security."
Japan has been concerned by growing political risks to its energy supply.
Abe, who is a hardliner on nuclear-armed North Korea, last year slashed most of Japan’s stake in a multibillion-dollar deal to develop Iran’s largest onshore oil field due to concerns over Tehran’s atomic drive.
Tokyo was also forced to cut back its participation in Russia’s giant Sakhalin-2 oil and gas project after a Kremlin-backed firm took majority control.
Japan has sometimes faced competition from China, which is also keenly seeking resources to fuel its rapidly growing economy. In February, President Hu Jintao toured resource-rich African nations, amid criticism in the West that China is overlooking human rights and graft concerns in its quest.
Tokyo has tried increasingly to show that it has interests in the Middle East beyond oil.
"Japan has always been left behind on global issues, with many people in Arab nations having the impression that Japan is a faceless deliverer of cash," Shiojiri said.
Japan came under heavy criticism in the West for bank-rolling the first Gulf War in 1991 to the tune of 13.5 billion dollars, or 20 percent of the international contribution, but without committing personnel because of its pacifist constitution.
Learning from the bitter lesson, Koizumi sent 600 troops to Iraq in 2003, marking the first time since World War II that Japan has sent soldiers to a country where a conflict was under way.
Abe plans to visit Japanese air personnel in Kuwait, who are flying in goods and personnel on behalf of the US-led coalition and the United Nations despite Japan’s withdrawal of the ground troops last year.
Japanese experts said the country can promote a role in the region as it has little historical baggage.
"Overall, Japan doesn’t have major constraints with countries in the region like the ones the United States or Europeans have," Fukuda said.
"Japan has maintained ties with Iran, given a positive image in Iraq and kept balanced relations with Israel and Palestine. There is room for a role to be played by Japan in the region."
la/al
