Japan-Saudi Arabia Relations

General

Among Japanese contacts with Saudi Arabia before World War II can be cited the pilgrimage to Makkah undertaken by the Muslim Kotaro Yamaoka with a Mongolian group in 1909. Official contacts have included the visit to Japan by Saudi envoy to England Hafiz Wahab to attend the opening in 1938 of a mosque in Yoyogi, Tokyo, and the 1939 visit to Saudi Arabia by Japanese envoy to Egypt Yokoyama, who had an audience with King Ibn Saud.
Major postwar developments were the dispatch in 1953 of the first Japanese economic delegation to Saudi Arabia and the formal establishment of diplomatic relations the following year. One of the centerpieces of the bilateral relationship has been the oil-field concessions granted by Saudi Arabia to the Japanese firm, Arabian Oil Co., and the successful extraction of petroleum thereafter. The concession agreement was signed in December 1957, and trial extractions proved successful in January 1960. Since then the company continued its operation until the agreement was terminated in February 2000.
In 1958, Saudi Arabia opened its embassy in Tokyo and Japan opened its embassy in Jeddah in 1960. The visit to Japan by H. R. H. Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Defense and Aviation in 1960 marked the beginning of bilateral visits by dignitaries of both nations, and in 1971 His Majesty King Faisal bin Abdulaziz visited Japan. Reciprocal visits by members of the Saudi royal and Japanese imperial families and premier and cabinet-level visits have grown more frequent since the "oil crisis" of 1973. In November 1994, the visit of Their Imperial Highnesses Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako to Saudi Arabia opened a new chapter in the history of friendly relations between the two families.
His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince Naruhito also visited Saudi Arabia to offer condolences on the passing of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdulaziz in August 2005, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz in October 2011, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz in June 2012 and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz in January 2015.
In April 2006, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz paid an official visit to Japan, and the two countries confirmed their commitment to promoting dialogue to build a strategic and multi-layered partnership. Prime Minister Abe visited Saudi Arabia in April 2007 and again from April to May 2013. Furthermore, in February 2014, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz visited Japan as an Official Guest, and the two countries concurred to further strengthen their "Comprehensive Partnership."
In September 2016, His Royal Highness Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited Japan, and the two countries confirmed to further promote the “Comprehensive Partnership” and Saudi Arabia's reform efforts under the Saudi Vision 2030. In March 2017, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz visited Japan, and both sides decided to establish the "Japan-Saudi Vision 2030" as a framework for comprehensive cooperation between the two countries. From June to July 2019, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited Japan to attend the G20 Osaka Summit. In January 2020, Prime Minister Abe visited Saudi Arabia. In July 2023, Prime Minister Kishida visited Saudi Arabia, and both sides reaffirmed to advance broader cooperation between the two countries, including in the field of decarbonization, under the "Japan-Saudi Vision 2030."
In the economic area, Saudi Arabia is the most important supplier of crude oil to Japan, and Japan has become Saudi Arabia's major partner in trade and investment. Following the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011, King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan sent condolence telegrams to His Majesty the Emperor. Additionally, the Saudi government provided LPG worth $20 million through Saudi Aramco, the Saudi national oil company.

Diplomatic Relations:

• 1955 Establishment of diplomatic relations
• 1958 Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Japan established
• 1960 Embassy of Japan in Saudi Arabia established in Jeddah, before moving to Riyadh in 1984

Bilateral Treaties and Agreements

• 1975 Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation
• 2009 Agreement for Air Services
• 2011 Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Tax Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income
• 2017 Investment Treaty

Number of Residents

• Number of Japanese Nationals residing in Saudi Arabia: 723 (as of February 2026)
• Number of Saudi Nationals residing in Japan: around 411 (as of June 2025)

Economic Relations

Exports and imports, 2023 (Ministry of Finance of Japan)

• (a) Saudi exports to Japan: About 4,515.7 billion Japanese Yen (crude oil andpetroleum products, chemical products etc.)
• (b) Saudi imports from Japan: About 917.8 billion Japanese Yen (automobiles, machinery and equipment, steel etc.)

Educational and Cultural Exchanges

• In 1993, a Japanese Language Department was established within the Language and Translation Institute at King Saud University. The Japan Foundation dispatched Japanese language education specialists.
• From 1999 to 2012, under the “Japan–Saudi Arabia Youth Exchange Program,” youth groups from both countries conducted annual mutual visits.
• Since April 2007, the dispatch of Saudi students to Japan under the King Abdullah Scholarship Program has commenced.
• In April 2011, the 26th “National Festival of Saudi Traditional and Cultural Heritage” (Janadriyah Festival) featured a Japan Pavilion jointly organized by the government and private sector.
• In 2015, marking the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Saudi Arabia, various commemorative projects were implemented in both countries. As part of this, in November 2015, a Japanese martial arts delegation led by Masahiko Takamura, Vice President of the Liberal Democratic Party, visited Saudi Arabia and performed martial arts demonstrations.
• In April 2017, under the framework of the “Japan–Saudi Vision 2030,” the Embassy of Japan in Saudi Arabia fully supported the initiatives of the Sawakami Opera Arts Promotion Foundation to promote culture and entertainment. A Japanese orchestra performed in Riyadh, attended by over 3,000 people, providing the young Saudi generation with their first opportunity to experience an orchestra in the country.
• From January to May 2018, the “Roads of Arabia” exhibition was held at the Tokyo National Museum. Over 250,000 visitors attended during the 99-day exhibition period. It was a highly successful opportunity for Japanese people to learn about the history of Saudi Arabia and the Arabian Peninsula.