Japan-Saudi Arabia Relations

Minister Faisal warmly welcomed Minister MOTEGI’s visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and expressed his condolences to the 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake and the August 2026 Chiba heavy rainfall. Minister Faisal also stated his desire to further strengthen bilateral relations and cooperation in regional affairs under the Strategic Partnership between the two countries. In response, Minister MOTEGI expressed his pleasure to hold the Third Foreign Ministerial Level Strategic Dialogue with Minister Faisal, following three telephone calls between them since the end of February this year. He also expressed his gratitude for the tremendous cooperation extended by Saudi Arabia in evacuating Japanese nationals in the Middle East, as well as for the message of sympathy conveyed by Saudi Arabia toward the Kumamoto Earthquake and Chiba heavy rainfall.

(1) Minister MOTEGI expressed his appreciation for Saudi Arabia’s tireless efforts to ensure stable energy supplies to Japan and the rest of the world amid the ongoing instability surrounding the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. He also stated that Japan intends to provide support including for strengthening the oil stockpiling capacity across Asia under “POWERR Asia” initiative launched by Japan, and that Japan wishes to work closely with Saudi Arabia, which possesses abundant energy resources.

(2) In response, Minister Faisal highly valued “POWERR Asia” and stated that Saudi Arabia would continue to cooperate with Japan in areas such as oil stocks, the construction of the East-West Pipeline, clean energy, and mineral resources. Minister Faisal also expressed Saudi Arabia’s intention to continue working actively on ensuring energy supplies to international markets, including Japan.

(3) Minister MOTEGI explained that Japan promotes the updated "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" (FOIP), which enhances the autonomy and resilience of each country, and that Japan intends to work closely with Saudi Arabia, a major regional power, toward peace and stability across the Middle East, including the Gulf region. Referring to the recent situation surrounding Iran, Minister MOTEGI conveyed that Japan has been formulating a comprehensive cooperation plan aimed at strengthening the economic and energy resilience of the Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, Minister MOTEGI emphasized that Japan intends to play an active role in ongoing projects in Saudi Arabia, including desalination, electricity, and railway infrastructure. In response, Minister Faisal expressed his welcome for these initiatives.

(4) The two ministers confirmed that they would further strengthen cooperation under the Strategic Partnership Council launched in February last year. They also welcomed an agreement in principle reached on the bilateral Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement, and expressed their expectation that the launch of direct flights between Riyadh and Narita scheduled for November this year would further promote people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

(1) Regarding the situation in Iran, Minister MOTEGI, concerning over the continued military tensions between the U.S. and Iran, stated that it is important to re-open the Strait of Hormuz as soon as possible, and then, to reach a final agreement, including on the Iran’s nuclear issue at an early date through further talks between the U.S. and Iran. He added that, to this end, Japan would continue to make diplomatic efforts. Minister Faisal explained the current status of talks between Iran and Oman regarding the Strait of Hormuz and the two ministers concurred on the importance of ensuring free and safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz without any additional costs.

(2) Regarding the situation surrounding the Red Sea, Minister MOTEGI expressed his strong concern over the Houthis’ continued attacks against Saudi Arabia and the Government of Yemen, and strongly denounced the series of attacks carried out by the Houthis. In response, Minister Faisal explained his views on the situation surrounding Yemen as well as the Multinational Maritime Defence Coalition initiated by Saudi Arabia for the stability of the Red Sea including the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and stated that he wishes to strengthen cooperation with Japan.

(3) Regarding the situation surrounding Palestine, Minister Faisal expressed his high regard for Japan’s consistent stance on a two-state solution. The two minister confirmed their cooperation toward realizing the stability of Palestine.

(4) Furthermore, the two ministers exchanged views on the situation in East Asia, such as their policies toward North Korea, including on the nuclear and missile issues as well as the abductions issue.