Japan’s Abe to embark on Middle East tour Saturday

ANKARA

Amid simmering tensions between the U.S. and Iran, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be flying to the Middle East Saturday on a five-day tour to “help stabilize the region”.
Addressing a news conference in the capital Tokyo, Abe government’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the premier will meet leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, Kyodo news reported.
“Abe will exchange views with [the leaders of] the three countries, which play important roles in easing tensions and stabilizing the situation in the region,” Suga said.
Previously, reports emerged that Abe had dropped his plans to travel to the Middle East following the U.S.'s killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani last week in Baghdad, the Iraqi capital.
The Japan premier’s trip is linked to Tokyo’s plans to deploy Japanese forces to the Gulf of Oman, the northern part of the Arabian Sea, and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
"He [Abe] plans to seek cooperation on ensuring stable energy supplies and safe navigation," Suga added.
Japan, the world’s number three economy, imports about 90% of its crude oil from the Middle East.