Japan-Iran Relations

1. At the beginning of the meeting, Prime Minister Abe expressed his condolences for the many Iranian victims of the accident which occurred on September 24 in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Prime Minister Abe then stated he was pleased to see President Rouhani again, welcomed the final agreement on the nuclear issue, and also expressed his respect for President Rouhani’s leadership. Moreover, Prime Minister Abe welcomed active high-level exchanges between the two countries, and stated that he would like to further enhance the bilateral relationship together. In response to the above, President Rouhani expressed his gratitude for the condolences for the victims of the accident in Makkah, and also expressed his gratitude for his fourth meeting with Prime Minister Abe.

2. Concerning the Iranian nuclear issue, President Rouhani stated that since the final agreement had been reached, he would like to expand various cooperation in the future. In response, Prime Minister Abe stated that steady implementation of the final agreement on the nuclear issue is important, and he expects cooperation between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Prime Minister Abe added that the Government of Japan would like to play its roles proactively in the implementation process.

3. Concerning the bilateral relations, President Rouhani stated that he would like to newly expand cooperation in areas such as transportation and traffic, environment, culture, and academic fields and student exchanges, as well as in the field of medicine and medical equipment, in addition to past cooperation in the field of energy. President Rouhani also stated that for such expansion of cooperation to take place, he would like Japanese banks to cooperate in transactions.

In response to the above, Prime Minister Abe stated he would like to make efforts for further expanding cooperation in the fields of environment and medical treatment, and for the significant expansion of the economic relationship. Concerning the economic relationship in particular, Prime Minister Abe stated that both the Japanese public and private sectors would make efforts to advance Japanese enterprises into Iran to contribute to the country’s development while welcoming confirmation by Mr. Kentaro Sonoura, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of consultations to prepare the environment for the protection of activities by Japanese enterprises and negotiations for bilateral investment treaty (BIT), when he visited Iran in September. Moreover, Prime Minister Abe stated that he would like to expand cooperation in the fields of culture, intellectual exchanges, and student exchanges; and for this purpose would like to discuss cooperative relationships in various levels in the future. Regarding cooperation between banks of the two countries, Prime Minister Abe stated that no problems would remain between the two countries when sanctions are lifted, adding that although banks basically tend to be cautious about various issues, the Government of Japan would like to firmly signal that its relationship with Iran is changing.

4. Prime Minister Abe and President Rouhani also exchanged opinions on regional affairs. Prime Minister Abe stated that although the security environment in the Middle East is still severe, Iran, a regional power, can play a great role in such an environment.

5. Moreover, when Prime Minister Abe stated in the meeting that he would like to visit Iran at an appropriate time if circumstances allow, President Rouhani expressed his welcome.