France's Macron arrives in Japan for talks dominated by Mideast war

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Tokyo on Monday for talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that will be dominated by rising tensions in the Middle East and questions over how they might affect global energy supplies.

The two leaders will hold bilateral meetings and then attend a working lunch at which regional security, including North Korea's nuclear ambitions, is likely to be discussed, according to Japan's chief government spokesman, Yoshihide Suga.

Macron is also scheduled to meet business leaders during his two-day visit before heading on to Australia and New Zealand. His last stop will be Hawaii for a Pacific Islands Forum summit, which the United States traditionally hosts.

The Middle East has been in turmoil since May 2015 when Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab nations cut ties with Qatar over its support for Islamist groups and al-Jazeera's news coverage.
Saudi Arabia is now leading a military coalition that intervened against Yemen's Houthi rebels after they ousted the government from the capital, Sanaa, in September 2014.

The war has caused what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with more than 10,000 people killed and millions facing starvation.

Macron said last week he would send a special envoy to Iran as part of efforts to ease tensions between Tehran and Saudi Arabia. He spoke after meeting Mohammed bin Salman, the young, reformist Saudi crown prince who is seeking Western help in reducing regional turmoil that has been inflamed by Saudi Arabia's regional rivalry with Shiite powerhouse Iran.

The French president said he saw a great opportunity for France and Saudi Arabia to work together in the fight against terrorism and efforts to resolve regional crises. He did not elaborate but France has been involved in several Middle East peace initiatives, such as trying to bring Syria's warring sides together at peace talks.

Macron also held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a visit to Paris last month.

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