Monday evening’s Asahi wrote that Foreign Minister Kono held bilateral talks with his Jordanian counterpart in Amman on Sunday. Kono welcomed Jordan’s efforts to accept some 660,000 Syrian refugees and defeat ISIL, and offered Japan’s financial assistance for these endeavors.

Kono held separate talks with his Kuwaiti counterpart later in the day. Concerning the thousands of North Koreans currently working in the nation, the Kuwaiti official told Kono that it has stopped issuing new visas for North Korean laborers. The Japanese official welcomed the move by stressing the need for international pressure on Pyongyang. Kono also welcomed the efforts by Kuwait to mediate between Qatar and several Middle Eastern nations, including Saudi Arabia, and expressed Tokyo’s readiness to help resolve the conflict. After visiting Kuwait, Kono held a meeting with his Saudi Arabian counterpart and urged him to swiftly resolve the standoff with Qatar.