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Rabat – Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reaffirmed today his government’s position on the Sahara dispute, shunning reports of Tokyo having any connections with the Polisario Front, the separatist group claiming independence in Western Sahara.
Kishida, who said that his country does not recognize the separatist group, made his remarks during a meeting in Tokyo with Morocco’s Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch.
The Japanese PM said his country seeks to see Morocco participate in all meetings organized by the Asian country, emphasizing the importance of Morocco as an “excellent” partner.
Kishida’s statement comes on the heels of a series of reassuring press releases from the Japanese government to Morocco in the aftermath of the eight Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) held in Tunisia last month.
Polisario took part in the meeting, prompting Morocco’s boycott of the conference. Polisario’s presence in the meeting comes as no surprise, but Tunisia’s government invitation to the separatist group angered Rabat.
Tunisian President Kais Saied also warmly welcomed Polisario leader Brahim Ghali.
The decision to extend an invitation to the Polisario Front created tensions between Rabat and Tunis, with Morocco recalling its ambassador to Tunis and issuing a communique condemning Polisario’s presence at the TICAD summit.
“After having recently multiplied negative positions and acts with regard to the Kingdom of Morocco and its higher interests, Tunisia’s attitude within the framework of the TICAD process confirms blatant hostility,” Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in August.
Japan also denounced Tunisia’s unilateral invitation of the Polisario Front, stressing that the presence of an entity which Tokyo does not recognize does not “affect the position of Japan regarding the status of this entity.”
The Japanese government also reaffirmed its determination to continue to support the strengthening of diplomatic relations between Tokyo and Rabat.
With the volume of their bilateral trade having noticeably grown in recent years, the two countries frequently describe each other as essential partners.
According to data compiled by Trading Economics, Morocco’s exports to Japan stood at $194.45 million in 2021. Meanwhile, Japan’s exports to Morocco reached $226.3 million, according to the UN Comtrade database on international trade.
