Japan, United Arab Emirates to enter economic partnership talks

Japan will start negotiations for an economic partnership agreement with the United Arab Emirates, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in a post on X. The conclusion of the pact with the UAE, coupled with another free trade agreement between Japan and the Gulf Cooperation Council that will also be negotiated, would "strengthen economic relations between the two countries", Kishida said. UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said on X that the comprehensive trade pact with Japan would be built on "our longstanding history of strategic cooperation". Japan and the UAE last year agreed to cooperate on technology and climate change, including energy security and investments in chip and battery sectors.