Katayama’s visit overlapped with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s trip to Vietnam and Australia, where she agreed with the two countries’ leaders to strengthen cooperation on energy security and other areas.
The finance minister also pursued resource diplomacy with Central Asian countries. She met Uzbek leaders and ministers from Azerbaijan, an oil-producing nation, and called for cooperation to obtain crude oil from sources outside the Middle East and critical minerals from suppliers other than China. Informed sources said Central Asian countries responded positively.
However, it is still unclear whether the efforts will be enough to prevent an energy crisis, as concerns grow that the Middle East conflict could drag on. Building the infrastructure needed to improve supply chains is likely to take considerable time.
Japan also faces a tough contest with China in the race for natural resource concessions in Central Asia, where Beijing is already ahead.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
