TOKYO (Kyodo) — Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Monday called on the International Energy Agency to cooperate in ensuring stable energy supplies across the world as the Middle East conflict continues to threaten energy shipping.
“We want to strengthen the resilience of the global supply-demand structure, so let’s work together to that end,” Takaichi told IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol in their meeting in Tokyo.
Birol expressed respect for Japan’s leading role in Asia in the field of energy security, stressing that the 32-member Paris-based body is always ready to support its related efforts.
Takaichi and Birol last met in March in Tokyo after IEA member nations decided to release strategic oil reserves totaling over 400 million barrels earlier that month.
The move followed the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery for global energy transportation, in the wake of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran launched in late February.
On Monday, Birol also held separate talks with Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Ryosei Akazawa.
