Japan and Iran are making final arrangements for their leaders to hold talks on Dec. 20, a source close to bilateral relations said Wednesday, according to "Japan Times".
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is planning to arrive in Japan on the evening of Dec. 19 for a three-day visit after stopping in Malaysia, where he is expected to attend a conference, the source said.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said his government wants to help ease tensions in the Middle East, according to the paper, adding that during a news conference in Tokyo on Monday he confirmed that Rouhani’s visit was being arranged but did not give a date.
In early December, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Iran’s special envoy in Tokyo in a meeting with Japanese prime minister informed the imminent visit of President Rouhani to Tokyo.
Japan has long maintained friendly ties with Iran. Abe visited Iran in June as the first Japanese leader to do so in about four decades.
If Rouhani’s visit is realized, the "Japan Times" wrote, it would be the second visit to Japan by an Iranian president since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979.
Iran used to be a major crude exporter to Japan before the United States imposed illegal sanctions against the country's oil exports.
MNA/PR