Prime Minister Shinzo Abe embarked on a five-day trip to the Middle East on Saturday as part of Tokyo's efforts to help reduce tensions in a critical region for resource-poor Japan.The trip will take him to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, countries which Japan sees as important players in stabilizing the situation in the Middle East, according to Japanese officials.The visit precedes Tokyo's dispatch of Self-Defense Forces personnel and assets to the region to help secure the safe passage of shipping by enhancing intelligence-gathering capabilities. The SDF's operational ar…READ FULL ARTICLE