Japan making arrangements for President Rouhani's visit to Tokyo

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says arrangements are underway for a visit to Tokyo by President Hassan Rouhani aimed at helping de-escalate tensions and promoting peace in the West Asia.

“By steadfastly pursuing dialogue, we will continue to make every diplomatic effort possible to ease tensions and achieve stability in the region,” Abe said at a news conference Monday.

“As one of those efforts, we are currently in talks about a visit by President Rouhani to Japan,” he said, confirming earlier reports that a trip by the Iranian president was on the agenda.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Abbas Araqchi informed Abe of President Rouhani’s intention to visit Japan during a meeting last Tuesday.

Speaking with Japan’s public broadcaster NHK in Vienna, Austria, on Saturday, Araqchi said efforts were being made to fix a date for the trip, and expressed hope that the visit would be scheduled soon.

Last week, Mahmoud Vaezi, the Chief of Staff of the president, told reporters that President Rouhani was considering stopping by Japan during his trip to Malaysia for an international conference in mid-December.

He said that President Rouihani's visit, most likely to take plane later this month, comes in response to an invitation extended by the Japanese prime minister during his trip to Tehran in June.

This would be the first visit by an Iranian president to Japan in almost two decades.

SS