Japanese Ships Dock in Saudi Arabia

The ships arrived at the port of Jeddah for a training and goodwill mission that will last until July 17. The Japanese navy has been conducting counter-piracy operations off Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden since 2009

 Japanese Ships Dock in Saudi Arabia

Japanese destroyer Makinami. Archive photo by Saberwyn - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28844103

Two Japanese naval ships have docked at the Red Sea port of Jeddah for a training and goodwill mission in a bid to strengthen relations with Saudi Arabia. The two ships, among them the destroyer Makinami, will remain in Saudi Arabia until July 17, 2018. The Saudi commander of the naval base in the Western Squadron, Rear Admiral Mohammed Al-Aslani, and the Japanese Consul General in Jeddah, Masayuki Miyamoto, welcomed the Japanese crews on July 13, 2018.

The commander of the Japanese squadron, Rear Admiral Hiroyuki Izumi, said the visit would provide training for crew members and help strengthen relations with the Kingdom. 

Izumi said the Gulf region is important to Japan and this is the third time the squadron has visited Jeddah. The last visit was six years ago. The commander said that the sea lanes between the Middle East and Japan were vital to the Japanese economy, with 90 percent of oil bound for Japan passing through the area. Izumi said that destroyers accompany Japanese commercial vessels when passing through the Gulf of Aden due to “unrest” in the area.

Saudi Arabia-Japan Relations

Japan is importing about 80 percent of its oil and 30 percent of its natural gas from the Middle East. For oil, in particular, the region is crucial, with Saudi Arabia supplying about 32 percent. Japan also sees resource-rich Saudi Arabia as an attractive market for its infrastructure exports.

King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz al-Saud of Saudi Arabia visited Japan on March 12, 2017, marking the first trip to the country by a Saudi king in 46 years. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and King Salman agreed to strengthen bilateral economic cooperation in announcing what was billed the “Saudi-Japan Vision 2030.”

Under the 2030 vision, the two countries will explore setting up special economic zones to invite more investment by Japanese companies into the Mideast country, which is undergoing a transformation from an oil-dependent economy amid falls in oil prices.          

The Japan Self-Defense Force Base in Djibouti

The Japan Self-Defense Force Base in Djibouti is the first Japanese overseas military base since World War II. Opened on July 5, 2011, the base is located on the northwest side of the Djibouti-Ambouli International Airport. The Japanese contingent of 180 troops has operated maritime patrol aircraft as part of an international force, which hunts pirates in the seas of the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia. The Japan Self-Defense Force Base in Djibouti does not provide docking for naval ships. 

The Japan Self-Defense Force Base in Djibouti was specifically designed to support counter-piracy operations in the immediate vicinity of the Gulf of Aden. In recent years, the Japanese military has also used the base to support peacekeeping operations in South Sudan and to support the emergency evacuation of Japanese citizens from South Sudan. More recently, the base also provides support for multilateral non-combat exercises.

China is seeking closer ties with African nations that could help it gain access to natural resources and provide new markets. Beijing said it would pump $60 billion into development projects on the continent.

China has in Djibouti its first overseas military facility, a coastal logistics base that resupplies naval vessels taking part in peacekeeping and humanitarian missions. The Japanese base serves as a counterweight to the expanding strategic footprint of China in Africa and the Middle East. 

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[Sources: Arab News, Reuters, Island Society]

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