Japanese Leader Reportedly Eyeing Trip to Middle East Amid Surging Oil Prices

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is considering visits to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in late August to assist in stabilizing crude oil markets amid soaring energy prices, Japanese news agency Kyodo reported on Wednesday, citing government sources.
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According to the report, Kishida could visit the said Middle Eastern countries after his attendance at the International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in Tunisia from August 27-28.
The visit comes amid soaring energy prices and Tokyo's rising concerns about supplies of liquefied natural gas from Russia. Kishida is also planning to secure stable energy supplies in the course of his visit to the Middle East since Japan imports about 90% of its crude oil from the region.
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It would be the first visit of a Japanese leader to the Middle East since January 2020, when former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe traveled to the region, Kyodo said.
US President Joe Biden made a similar Middle Eastern tour in mid-July, with the last leg including a visit to Saudi Arabia. Riyadh had committed to help in balancing the global oil market to help stabilize prices, the White House said after Biden's talks with Saudi leaders in Jeddah.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said, in turn, that there would be no announcement bilaterally on boosting oil production since action like that should be taken by OPEC+ countries.
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