Saudi Crown Prince welcomes Japan's Abe to historic al-Ula

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the site of an ancient civilization in Saudi Arabia on Sunday.

Abe's visit coincides with the deployment of Japanese warships to the region and comes amidst heightened security tensions following the killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani by a U.S. air strike. Defence Minister Taro Kono issued an order on Friday for the warship and two patrol planes to head to the Middle East to protect ships bringing goods to Japan. Abe is on a Middle East tour with visits to Oman and the United Arab Emirates also scheduled.