IRNA - Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono said that his country will take advantage of its position as a friend of both the US and Iran to help reduce tensions between Tehran and Washington.






Kono made the remarks while briefing�Foreign Affairs Committee of Japan�s House of the Representative on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's upcoming visit to Tehran, Japan's NHK TV reported.

The Japanese foreign minister, meantime, pointed to�Japan's long-standing friendship with Iran, and said that Tokyo can honestly talk with all parties involved and will not hesitate to try to reduce regional tensions through dialogue.

Japanese officials are planning for the visit of Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Iran to meet with officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran in mid-June.

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi expressed the hope on Tuesday that Abe's upcoming visit to Tehran would lead to reduction in tensions in the region.

In an interview with NHK TV channel, Araqchi�said that Japan might be able to cause the US to understand the current situation

Araqchi, welcomed�the visit by the Japanese prime minister to Tehran, and highlighted that Abe would meet with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and the country's senior officials.

The Japanese prime minister is slated to visit Iran on June 12-14.

Following the visit of Japan's former Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda to Iran in 1978, Abe is the first Japanese prime minister to visit Tehran after the Islamic Revolution.

Abe has met with the Iranian president on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York since 2013.