The visit by Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Iran, expected in the near future, will help upgrade bilateral ties that have been long overdue, a lawmaker said.
“Overall, I think the Japanese premier’s trip will lead to good developments” in Tehran-Tokyo relations, Mehrdad Lahouti also said in an interview with ICANA.
“There has been a great deal of interest on the Japanese side to establish ties with Iran,” he said. “But it has not happened due to some limitations, which have now been removed under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.”
Lahouti was referring to the formal name of last year’s landmark nuclear deal with major powers, which took effect about three months ago to scale down Tehran’s nuclear work in exchange for the removal of international sanctions.
“There is great potential for nuclear cooperation between the two Asian countries,” he added.
Abe’s trip to Iran, likely to take place in August, will be the first by a Japanese prime minister in 38 years.
The last Japanese prime minister to visit Iran was Takeo Fukuda in September 1978.
