TOKYO, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will meet in New York in September to discuss Iran's nuclear programme among other issues, Kyodo news agency said on Sunday, quoting unnamed Iranian diplomatic sources.
Iran aims to promote relations with Japan, traditionally a friendly nation, to avoid international isolation as Iran's talks with the United States and Europe over their nuclear deal have stalled, Kyodo said.
Kishida and Raisi also met last September when they visited New York for the U.N. General Assembly.
Raisi will ask Kishida to visit Iran and seek to unfreeze Iranian assets in Japan, estimated to be worth around $3 billion, that were frozen in line with U.S. sanctions, Kyodo said.
The Japanese side is also expected to emphasise safety in the Strait of Hormuz, the main artery for crude oil transportation and the route for most of the crude oil coming to Japan, Kyodo said.
Persons:
Fumio Kishida, Ebrahim Raisi, Raisi, Antony Blinken, Kishida, Kyodo, Yuka Obayashi, Edmund Klamann
Organizations:
Kyodo, General Assembly, Reuters, U.S, Thomson
Locations:
TOKYO, New York, Iran, Japan, United States, Europe, Washington, Tehran, Russia, Ukraine, South Korea, Strait, Hormuz