Tuesday evening’s Nikkei ran an inside-page report on press remarks on Tuesday by Foreign Minister Kishida, during which he commented on Japan’s expected cabinet approval for lifting sanctions on Iran by saying: “Relevant government agencies are making arrangements on the matter. If possible, we are hoping to lift the sanctions this week.”

This morning’s Nikkei wrote in its political news section on page 4 that the GOJ will lift its sanctions on Iran following Tehran’s fulfillment of its nuclear deal, speculating that the decision will be approved by the cabinet on Friday or later. The paper wrote that Tokyo plans to urge the Iranian government to relax its rules on foreign companies’ participation in projects in the nation in order to make preparations for Japanese firms to resume their involvement in the Azadegan oilfield development project.