Japan's prime minister has wrapped up a tour of the Middle East. Energy security was high on the agenda. But Kishida Fumio has also brought his country closer to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in the fields of foreign affairs and defense.

Kishida said, "During my visit, I was able to confirm with the leaders that we'll promote multilayered cooperation in a wide range of fields, such as energy, diverse economic relations, security and soft power exchanges. We also confirmed that we will base our cooperation on the shared goal of maintaining a free and open international community based on the rule of law. It was very significant in following up on and expanding the substantial discussions at the G7 Hiroshima summit in May."

Kishida said Japan will help the three countries in the Middle East diversify their economies and reduce their dependence on oil and gas exports.

Kishida said, "The Gulf nations and Japan will combine their strengths to transform Middle Eastern oil-producing countries into a global green energy hub that exports decarbonized energy and critical minerals.

Kishida stressed the need to support countries struggling to both expand their economies and decarbonize, adding that the approach will ultimately contribute to global peace and prosperity.

Kishida says he will reaffirm Japan's partnerships at the next G20 summit and UN General Assembly later this year.