TOKYO (Sputnik) — According to the NHK broadcaster, law enforcement agencies of Japan's capital will increase the number of patrols in areas where the embassies of Saudi Arabia and Iran are located, as well as near the offices of other organizations related to the two states, in particular, language schools.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga called on Saudi Arabia and Iran to resume dialogue in order to resolve the standoff earlier in the day.
Japan’s envoy to the UN Motohide Yoshikawa said earlier on Tuesday that Tokyo may use its close ties with both Saudis and Iranians to help restore the balance in the Middle East.
The row erupted on Saturday after Riyadh executed prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr along with 46 people for alleged terror-related offenses.
Al-Nimr’s execution triggered mass protests in Shia-dominated Iran and across the region. On Sunday, a raging mob stormed the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and the consulate in Mashhad. Following the attack, Saudi Arabia announced it would sever diplomatic ties with Iran.
