Iranian VP, Japanese PM Discuss Closer Ties in Tokyo

According To Iran News, Iranian Vice-President for Legal Affairs La’ya Joneidi held talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo about a range of issues, including ways to boost bilateral relations between the two Asian countries.

In the Thursday meeting in the Japanese capital, Abe appreciated Joneidi’s participation in a palace ceremony held on Tuesday to announce Japanese Emperor Naruhito’s enthronement.

This year is the 90th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Iran and Japan, Abe said, hailing recent meetings and talks between the two countries’ officials, including his June trip to Tehran and his meeting with President Hassan Rouhani in New York on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the United Nations General Assembly.

He further pointed to the 2015 nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and highlighted its importance for protecting international peace and security.

Abe added that Japan fully backs the deal and calls on all parties to the JCPOA to fulfill their obligations.

Joneidi, for her part, expressed satisfaction with her visit to Tokyo and said bilateral meetings between high-ranking officials of Iran and Japan are indicative of the fact that the two countries have age-old friendly ties.

She further said the Islamic Republic has always lived up to its obligations under the JCPOA, adding that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has approved Iran’s commitment 14 times.

Joneidi traveled to Japan to represent Iran in the enthronement ceremony of the South Asian country’s Emperor Naruhito earlier this week.

She held a meeting with Japan’s newly appointed Justice Minister Katsuyuki Kawai in Tokyo on Thursday.

In the meeting with the Japanese minister, Joneidi called for the promotion of legal and judicial cooperation between Tehran and Tokyo, and welcomed the idea of judicial diplomacy proposed by Kawai.

She also said that the two countries can work together in various judicial fronts, such as training courses and research programs in cooperation with the union of lawyers and law faculties.

The vice president further said that implementation of previous bilateral agreements, including the extradition treaty, would resolve the problems facing the two countries’ nationals.