Abe to make 5-day trip to Mideast as Japan orders naval dispatch

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will make a five-day trip from Saturday to the Middle East, the Japanese government said Friday, as it ordered the Maritime Self-Defense Force to dispatch a destroyer and patrol planes to the region on an information-gathering mission.Seeking to help stabilize the region amid simmering tensions between Iran and the United States, Abe plans to go to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Oman for talks with their leaders, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a press conference.The government had weighed the option of canceling the trip, but Abe decided…READ FULL ARTICLE