Japan-Saudi Arabia Summit Video Conference Meeting (Summary)

[Provisional translation]

 

On May 21, commencing at 6:45 p.m. for approximately 35 minutes, Mr. KISHIDA Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan, held a video conference meeting with His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The overview is as follows.

1. Opening Remarks

(1) At the outset, H.R.H. Crown Prince Mohammad expressed his deep appreciation for Japan’s understanding on the last-minute postponement of his visit to Japan and stated that he hopes to further strengthen cooperation with Japan and would like to arrange his visit to Japan at an early timing.

(2) In response, Prime Minister Kishida expressed his sincere wishes for the early recovery of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, and stated that he would like to strengthen the strategic partnership between Japan and Saudi Arabia, while looking ahead to the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries next year, and work even more closely together towards the peace and stability in the Middle East region and international community.

(3) The two leaders concurred to establish a “Strategic Partnership Council (SPC),” chaired by the two leaders to comprehensively strengthen the bilateral relations.

2. Energy security and clean energy

(1) Prime Minister Kishida expressed his gratitude for the stable supply of crude oil from Saudi Arabia to Japan over the years and stated that he expects Saudi Arabia to continue to play a leading role in stabilizing the global oil market, including through further production increases. In addition, he stated that he would like to cooperate toward the establishment of a global supply chain for clean energy, such as hydrogen and ammonia, and promote cooperation in the field of mineral resources while utilizing Japanese technology, under the “Lighthouse Initiative,” which was agreed between the two countries in July last year.

(2) In response, H.R.H. Crown Prince Mohammad stated that Saudi Arabia remains committed to the stable supply of crude oil to Japan and that Saudi Arabia would like to cooperate with Japan in other areas including the field of clean energy.

3. Economic diversification and resilience

(1) Prime Minister Kishida expressed his hopes for direct investment from Saudi Arabia into Japan in a wide range of fields, as well as cooperation in the field of construction, power transmission, utilization of hydrogen, digital, ICT, space, health, medicine, food, agriculture and other sectors, which will lead to creating business opportunities. In addition, he stated that he seeks to work together for the early conclusion of the Japan-GCC Free Trade Agreement (FTA), as its negotiations are scheduled to resume in the near future.

(2) In response, H.R.H. Crown Prince Mohammad stated Saudi Arabia has been continuing high economic growth, and that he welcomes the resumption of the Japan-GCC-FTA negotiations and the cooperation with Japan in various areas other than the energy field.

4. Strengthening strategic cooperation for regional and international peace and stability

The two leaders exchanged views on regional situations. As for the situation in the Middle East, Prime Minister Kishida explained Japan's diplomatic efforts and contributions regarding the situation surrounding Gaza. In response, H.R.H. Crown Prince Mohammed stated that he seeks to continue to closely cooperate with Japan in its diplomatic efforts towards realizing peace and stability.

5. Soft power exchange

(1) Prime Minister Kishida stated that he is pleased to hand over the torch of the Expo to Saudi Arabia in 2030 from Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, and that he seeks to further encourage the growth of exchanges including in the fields of entertainment, tourism, academia and professional football.

(2) In response, H.R.H. Crown Prince Mohammed stated that Japan is also an outstanding country in the area of culture, and that he seeks to strengthen cooperation with Japan in this area as well.