Japan Aims to Ensure Safe Passage thru 2 Key Middle East Straits

Tokyo, Aug. 24 (Jiji Press)–Japan is stepping up diplomatic efforts to ensure free and safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, both critical transport waterways for Middle East crude oil. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi visited Saudi Arabia and Oman, both key players in the region, for six days through Saturday mainly for talks with his counterparts from the two nations. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has also held talks with some Middle East leaders over the phone for cooperation. Still, some in the Takaichi administration are calling for her face-to-face meetings with heads of Middle East nations to help achieve a breakthrough at a time when the course of U.S.-Iran negotiations for ending their conflict remains unpredictable. At a meeting with Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi in Muscat, the capital of Oman, on Thursday, Motegi stressed that Japan is ready to play an active role in the Middle East nation’s ongoing desalination project. Oman and Iran, which face each other across the Strait of Hormuz, are continuing talks on issues related to the oil chokepoint. In the negotiations, Tehran is believed to be defending fee collection from commercial ships using the Strait of Hormuz, a step opposed by Japan, which calls it a violation of international law. Motegi offered Tokyo’s support for Oman’s key desalination project apparently with the aim of seeking its role in urging Iran to restore free and safe navigation without additional costs in the Strait of Hormuz. Badr told Motegi that the future of the strait should be determined in accordance with international laws, including the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea. Motegi hailed the remark as very assuring. The Japanese minister visited Saudi Arabia, which has strong influence over Arab nations, ahead of his trip to Oman. At a meeting in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, Motegi and Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, affirmed the importance of ensuring free and safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. Motegi said that Japan has been working to formulate a comprehensive cooperation plan aimed at strengthening the economic and energy resilience of the Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia. He also referred to Japan’s plan to support Saudi Arabia’s efforts to expand the capacity of the so-called East-West Pipeline for crude oil transportation. Japan has relied on the Middle East for 90 pct of its crude oil procurement. The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has increased the importance of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, located on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula. The situation there is increasingly unstable, however, as pro-Iran Houthi rebels in Yemen, which faces the strait, are attacking Saudi ships passing through the waterway. During his stay in Saudi Arabia, Motegi also met with Presidential Leadership Council chair Rashad Al-Alimi, leader of Yemen’s interim government, which has its base in the neighboring country. They confirmed close cooperation for ensuring the safety of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Takaichi is also putting efforts into helping stabilize the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, seeking cooperation from leaders of Oman, Iran and Turkey through separate telephone meetings earlier this month. But some in the Takaichi government are calling for further steps by the Japanese leader, who has refrained from overseas trips this summer partly because she focuses on responses in the aftermath of a huge earthquake that hit Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, late last month. “If the prime minister visits Iran, that would be a great opportunity for Japan to demonstrate its presence,” a government source said. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]