Over the years Qatar and Japan have worked to enhance their bilateral relations to the level of strategic partnership. Qatar-Japan diplomatic relations were established in 1972. The bilateral relations were initially focused on the economic side of ties, but the two countries have expanded their partnership in diverse areas such as investment, education and scientific and medical research, science and technology, tourism, infrastructure development, human resource development and training of cadres in different areas.
Given the significance of trade ties especially in energy, there have been regular high-level visits between the two countries. Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani visited Japan in January 2019, when a number of memoranda of cooperation between the two sides were signed. H H the Amir also visited Japan last year to attend the state funeral of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe and offered condolences to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and HIM Emperor Naruhito of Japan.
Qatar is the largest supplier of petroleum gases to Japan and the fourth largest provider of energy resources to Japan with bilateral trade volume reaching tens of billions of dollars, according to statistics published by the Embassy of Qatar in Tokyo.
This week Qatar participated in a ministerial meeting of the Arab-Japan Political Dialogue held at Arab League in Cairo. Representing Qatar at the meeting, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi expressed Qatar’s appreciation for Japan’s active role in promoting international security and stability, through its firm and well-established positions on regional issues, most notably the peace process in the Middle East. Qatar’s delegation highlighted the urgent need for the Arab world and Japan to intensify cooperation amid restructuring of world blocs in face of global and regional crises and international turmoil, such as terrorism, conflicts, sustainable development, climate and environmental changes, energy crises, food supply chains, and others, which require joint global efforts.
Qatar aspires to develop Arab-Japan relations at the level of the joint Arab action system and bilateral relations, in a way that contributes to increasing communication and coordination to enhance cooperation in all fields.
At the bilateral level, Qatar and Japan have held strategic dialogues in 2021 and 2023, wherein they agreed on enhancing cooperation in the political and security fields, including establishing an international order based on the rule of law and cooperation in order to ensure regional stability, as well as the defense field. Qatar also endeavors to develop technology, artificial intelligence and clean energy in cooperation with Japan.
