Japan ruling party exec urges PM to hold top-level dialogue with Iran

A senior ruling party executive said Saturday that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi should explore top-level talks with Iran after Tehran indicated it is ready to help secure the passage of Japanese vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for energy transport. Takayuki Kobayashi, the policy chief of the Liberal Democratic Party, described Iran's messaging from Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during an interview with Kyodo News as "unlike anything before," saying that Japan should seize the opportunity to strategically step up diplomacy. "We want the government to explore dialogue at the foreign ministers' level and depending on how the situation evolves at the summit level," said Kobayashi, a former economic security minister.