Prime Minister Shinzo Abe left Friday for a nearly weeklong tour of the Middle East, seeking to boost Japan's engagement in the region.
Abe chose Egypt, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories to kick off his first diplomatic tour of 2015. He will express Japan's support for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and for international efforts to fight Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.
Business leaders are accompanying the prime minister in hopes of increasing economic and trade ties with the region.