Saudi crown prince MBS postpones Japan trip amid concerns about Saudi King’s Health

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman postponed a planned four-day trip to Japan due to concerns over the king’s health, Japan’s top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said.

The trip set to start Monday was to have been the crown prince’s first visit to Japan since 2019.

Hayashi said at a regular news briefing in Tokyo the two nations would reschedule the visit, without indicating when.  

The kingdom’s de facto ruler was due to meet Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during the trip, according to Japan’s government. 

MBS, as the Saudi crown prince is known, was also expected to meet Japanese companies and sign an agreement to strengthen supply chains for liquid hydrogen, soutces reported.

News of the cancellation came after the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported that Prince Mohammed’s father, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, is suffering from inflammation of the lung and will be receiving antibiotics at Al Salam Palace in Jeddah.

The crown prince had also planned to visit Japan in late 2022, but the trip was canceled shortly before he was scheduled to arrive.