Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi

Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi is scheduled to visit Tehran as part of a tour of the Middle East meant to discuss regional security and the response to the coronavirus pandemic with officials of the new Iranian administration.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, the top Japanese diplomat said he will travel to Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Palestine, Turkey, Qatar, and the Israeli-occupied territories on August 15-24.

Through the visit, I want to reiterate our commitment to the Middle East, which has contributed to its peace and prosperity over the years, he said.

‘A new chapter in Iran-Japan ties’

In a tweet on Tuesday, Iran’s Embassy in Tokyo said that the Japanese Foreign minister’s upcoming trip to Tehran could could open a new chapter in deepening and expanding bilateral relations.

Close consultations between the two countries on important regional and international issues will provide an opportunity to exchange views on issues of mutual interest, the tweet read.

Citing diplomatic sources, The Japan Times newspaper reported last month that Motegi is planning to visit Iran to build ties with its new government led by President Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi.

Motegi is expected to meet his Iranian counterpart, possibly in mid-August, as Japan aims to strengthen its traditionally friendly ties with Iran and discuss issues related to Tehran’s nuclear program, the report said.

Japan’s official NHK TV channel also reported that Motegi would sit down for talks with his Iranian counterpart as well as other high-ranking officials of the new administration to be formed by Raeisi.

The report predicted that the top Japanese diplomat would announce Tokyo’s readiness to strengthen traditional friendship between the two sides during the trip.

It said Motegi and the Iranian authorities would likely discuss a resumption of the negotiations on a potential revival of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which the United States, a close Tokyo ally, has abandoned in defiance of international law.

Motegi’s trip would be the first visit to Iran by a senior Japanese government figure since the 2019 trips by former prime minister Shinzo Abe and foreign minister Taro Kono.