Section 6 The Middle East and North Africa

Overview

The Middle East and North African region is situated in a geopolitically important location at the intersection of Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, and South Asia. This region contains a major international maritime route for international commerce, and is also an important supplier of energy resources, including oil and natural gas, to the rest of the world. On the other hand, this area is facing a number of challenges that destabilize the region, such as the expansion of extremists including Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the mass refugee outflows, the crisis in Syria, the worsening situation surrounding Iraq, the Iranian nuclear issue, the Middle East Peace Process, and the conditions in Afghanistan, Yemen, and Libya. Realizing peace and stability in this region that confronts these challenges is of great importance for the international community as a whole, including Japan. The global community is also working on the solution to this issue.

Japan relies on this region for more than 80% of its crude oil imports, and has developed relations with the Middle East and North Africa region countries (hereafter referred to as the “Middle East region countries”) that have been centered on resources and energy. Considering such development, Japan builds a more multi-layered relationship that encompasses resources and energy, as well as wide-ranging economic cooperation, politics and security, and culture and people-to-people exchanges. Since the inauguration of the second Abe administration in December 2012, Prime Minister Abe visited this region six times. Under the concept of the “running mate of the Middle East,” the Government of Japan has made efforts for strengthening the relations with the region through a number of high-level visits, meetings, and talks.

The expansion of extremists including ISIL has been not only significantly undermining the order in the Middle East region but also posing great concern to the entire global society. In a speech on Japan’s policy regarding the Middle East by Prime Minister Abe in January and on other occasions, Japan has indicated its intention to support the construction of societies that do not generate extremism. With the spirit of “the best way is in the middle,” the Government of Japan has provided humanitarian assistance for the refugees and internally displaced persons, the improvement of infrastructure, and the development of human resources. At the same time, Japan severely criticized the despicable acts of terrorism caused by ISIL and other organizations and expressed support for the fight against terrorism in the international community.

The expansion of ISIL has caused a massive influx of refugees from Syria and Iraq to the European region. During the General Debate at the UN General Assembly in September, Prime Minister Abe expressed support of approximately 810 million US dollars to the refugees and internally displaced persons in Syria, Iraq and neighboring countries. In addition, in January 2016, the Government of Japan decided to provide support of about 350 million US dollars for programs including vocational training and food support to Syria, Iraq and neighboring countries.

Regarding the situation in Syria, Japan has repeatedly expressed at international conferences since 2014 that its contribution centers mainly on humanitarian assistance and political dialogue. In 2015, Japan also provided many assistance programs, including yen loans to Turkey and Jordan, which have been affected by the influx of refugees from Syria. The assistance that Japan has provided to Syria, Iraq and their neighboring countries exceeds 1.2 billion US dollars since 2011, when the crisis in Syria took place.

In relation to the Middle East Peace Process, Japan urged the resumption of peace talks on many occasions, including summit meetings held at the time of Prime Minister Abe’s visit to Israel and Palestine in January, and at the summit meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the 21^st United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) held in Paris in November. Furthermore, Japan has made steady progress on its unique efforts to support Palestine, including the “Corridor for Peace and Prosperity” initiative and the Conference on the Cooperation among East Asian countries for Palestinian Development (CEAPAD).

In July, Iran and the EU3 (UK, France, and Germany) +3 (U.S., China, and Russia) announced the final agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue. Following the final agreement, Japan will further strengthen relations with Iran through such means as cooperation to encourage the steady implementation of the final agreement by Iran and the conclusion of the bilateral investment agreement.

In recent years, the Middle East countries have achieved steady economic development with the rapidly growing youth population serving as its driving force and have been increasing their presence as a consumer market and an investment destination. Therefore, Japan has been working on establishing legal frameworks, such as Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA), Free Trade Agreements (FTA), investment agreements, and social security agreements, which are foundations for strengthening the economic and business relationships with the Middle East countries. Additionally, Japan has been promoting infrastructure projects in the region. When Prime Minister Abe visited the Middle East region, he was accompanied by an economic delegation comprised of companies from various industries and business categories, from large to medium and small enterprises. This delegation actively made a pitched on Japan’s strengths to the leaders and the business community of each country.