Japan and Saudi Arabia held a bilateral business forum in Tokyo on Tuesday to discuss enhancing cooperation in energy and other sectors.
During the Saudi-Japan Vision 2030 Business Forum, Japanese Minister of Industry Ken Saito met with Saudi officials, including Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman and Investment Minister Khalid al-Falih, along with representatives of Saudi companies.
Saito stated during the forum, “Saudi Arabia is the largest supplier of crude oil to Japan and one of the most important partners in terms of energy security.”
As part of the efforts to deepen their relations, the two sides signed over 30 memoranda of understanding on Tuesday in the fields of energy, manufacturing, and financial activities.
Saudi Arabia’s Energy Purchase Company announced that it had signed agreements with a consortium led by Japan’s Marubeni Corporation to purchase energy from the Al-Ghat wind energy project with a capacity of 600 megawatts and the Wad Al-Shamal wind energy project with a capacity of 500 megawatts.
It is worth noting that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman postponed an official visit to Japan scheduled from May 20 to 23. The Crown Prince was scheduled to meet with Emperor Naruhito and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
On Monday, he spokesperson for the Japanese government announced that Saudi Crown Prince has postponed his scheduled visit to Japan this week due to his father, King Salman’s “health condition.”
This came after the Saudi Royal Court announced on Sunday that medical tests conducted on King Salman bin Abdulaziz showed he is suffering from a lung infection, with doctors preparing an antibiotic treatment plan for him. The royal medical team has advised these tests to better understand the King’s current health condition.