Japan’s Economy, Trade and Industry Minister is set to visit the Middle East and Britain. Nishimura Yasutoshi’s aim is to further strengthen Japan’s ties with Britain, Israel, Palestine and Turkey.
The minister is scheduled to kick off his tour of the Middle East and Britain on Sunday. The trip will end on Wednesday.
In the Middle East, Nishimura plans to promote cooperation between Japanese firms and startups in Israel, which is known as the Silicon Valley of the Middle East. He is also scheduled to meet the leader of the Palestinian Authority.
In Turkey, Nishimura is expected to meet with Turkish cabinet ministers. They will all discuss assistance for reconstruction efforts in Ukraine, where Russia’s military operation continues. Turkey is one of the emerging economies known as the Global South.
In Britain, Nishimura plans to hold policy meetings with his British counterpart. They are likely to discuss economic, national security and energy issues. Nishimura is also expected to talk about ways in which Japan and Britain can further strengthen their ties.
Japan is eager to deepen its relationship with Britain, now that Britain has joined the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership or CPTPP.
Ministry officials say Nishimura plans to use this tour to consolidate Japan’s ties with those partners, especially in light of China’s increasingly hegemonic activities and Russian’s invasion of Ukraine. Those matters have made the international situation increasingly unstable.
