Japan's Abe Mulling Visiting Oman in Jan.

Tokyo, Nov. 20 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is considering visiting Oman in January on the occasion of his planned trip to Africa, informed sources said Wednesday. Abe hopes to hold talks with Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said to strengthen relations with the Middle East country, a major supplier of natural gas and other energy to Japan, the sources said. He will be the first Japanese prime minister to visit Oman since 1990 when then Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu made a visit. With the planned trip to Oman, Abe will have visited all six member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council since he took office late last year. Abe attaches importance to relations with the Middle East because Japan relies on GCC nations for a large portion of its fossil fuel imports. In 2012, 4.6 pct of Japan's natural gas imports came from Oman. Abe and Qaboos are also expected to discuss how the two countries can contribute to the international efforts to resolve Iran's nuclear issue peacefully through dialogue, the sources said. END