Japan-Saudi Arabia Relations
Japan-Saudi Arabia Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
May 1, 2025
On May 1, commencing at 12:35 p.m. local time (May 1, 6:35 p.m. JST) for approximately 100 minutes, Mr. IWAYA Takeshi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, who is visiting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, held a meeting and working lunch with H.H. Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The overview of the meeting is as follows.
- Introduction
- Minister Iwaya noted that the regional and international situation has been changing rapidly during the three months since Minister Iwaya and Minister Faisal held the Foreign Ministerial Strategic Dialogue in Tokyo in February this year, and expressed his desire to hold once again a candid exchange of views with Minister Faisal on bilateral relations as well as regional and international situation.
- In response, Minister Faisal expressed his pleasure to meet Minister Iwaya again in Riyadh and to have another opportunity to exchange views with Japan, a strategic partner, on important issues concerning bilateral relations as well as regional and international situation.
- Bilateral relations
- The two ministers concurred to arrange an implementation structure to make use of the framework of the Strategic Partnership Council (SPC), chaired by the leaders of the two countries, for which a memorandum was signed in February this year.
- Minister Iwaya expressed his gratitude for the stable supply of crude oil from Saudi Arabia over the years and his expectation for Saudi Arabia to continue to play a leading role for the stabilization of the global crude oil market. In response, Minister Faisal reaffirmed Saudi Arabia's commitment to the stable supply of crude oil to Japan and expressed his willingness to further strengthen cooperation in the energy sector, not only on crude oil but also in the clean energy sector.
- Both Ministers also reviewed the progress of bilateral cooperation in the fields of space, defense, and other areas, and recalling that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries as well as bearing mind that Japan is passing the baton from the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan to the Riyadh Expo 2030, concurred to continue to further promote these cooperation.
- Furthermore, the Ministers shared the desire to strengthen cooperation and partnership through international organizations such as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), including through strengthening coordination between the two countries for the early conclusion of the Japan-GCC Economic Partnership Agreement(EPA) negotiations.
- Regional and International Affairs
- The two ministers held a candid exchange of views on the current situation in the Middle East and shared the view about the necessity of the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and the improvement of the critical humanitarian situation in Gaza. They also concurred to continue diplomatic efforts to achieve a two-state solution and to strengthen coordination between Japan and Saudi Arabia.
- They also welcomed the ongoing U.S.-Iran talks and expressed their shared hope for positive progress, and confirmed that both countries will continue to coordinate with each other.
- In addition, the two ministers exchanged views on the situation on Russia and Ukraine and Minister Iwaya stated that Japan values Saudi Arabia’s role. Minister Iwaya stressed the need to lead the world toward cooperation rather than division and confrontation, and expressed his desire to work closely with Saudi Arabia, which is playing an increasingly important role in the international community. In response, Minister Faisal expressed his support for Minister Iwaya's views and expressed his hope for Japan to play an even greater role in resolving regional and international issues.