Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah received a phone call from Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan Toshimitsu Motegi, during which the two sides discussed the terrorist Houthi militia’s attacks against the Kingdom, SPA reported from Riyadh on October 15, 2026.
The Japanese foreign minister expressed his country’s strong condemnation of these repeated attacks targeting airports and civilian facilities in the Kingdom, according to SPA. The call placed the Houthi attacks at the center of a direct exchange between the top diplomats of Saudi Arabia and Japan, a pairing whose ties the source describes as friendly.
What does it mean when a foreign minister picks up the phone specifically to condemn strikes on airports and civilian facilities? In this case, the Japanese position was conveyed directly by Motegi to Prince Faisal, rather than through a statement or a third party. The source records that condemnation as strong and as directed at attacks it describes as repeated.
The two ministers also reviewed cooperation relations between the two friendly countries, SPA reported. That review ran alongside the discussion of the attacks, folding the bilateral file into the same call. How often do bilateral agendas and security condemnations share a single phone call between foreign ministers? Here, the source places both in the same conversation.
Beyond the attacks and the bilateral relationship, the two sides discussed the latest regional and international developments, as well as ways to enhance coordination and cooperation to ensure energy security and freedom and safety of navigation in regional and international waterways, according to SPA. Those two items — energy security and the safety of navigation — were named together as areas for enhanced coordination and cooperation.
Why do energy security and navigation safety appear side by side in a call about attacks on airports and civilian facilities? The source does not draw the link explicitly; it lists them as subjects the ministers discussed. What the source does make clear is that the conversation covered both the condemnation of the attacks and the wider question of how the two countries coordinate on waterways and energy.
The call was received by Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, from Toshimitsu Motegi, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan. SPA identified both officials by name and by title. The Japanese side’s message, as recorded, centered on condemnation of the Houthi militia’s attacks against the Kingdom.
Which details did the source leave out? It does not say how long the call lasted, where precisely Prince Faisal was when he received it, or whether any follow-up steps were agreed. It does not quote either minister directly. It does not specify which airports or civilian facilities were targeted in the attacks the Japanese minister condemned, nor does it give a number for the attacks described as repeated.
The source also does not state whether the two ministers discussed any specific mechanism for enhancing coordination on energy security or navigation safety, nor whether they set a date for further contact. What it does record is the sequence: a call received, attacks discussed, condemnation expressed, bilateral relations reviewed, regional and international developments examined, and coordination on energy security and waterways addressed.
Readers following Saudi diplomacy will note the pairing of a condemnation with a working agenda. Does a phone call of this kind change conditions on the ground, or does it mainly register a position? The source does not answer that. It reports what was said between the two ministers and leaves the rest open.
SPA published the item from Riyadh, dated October 15, 2026, with a local time stamp of 17:05 and a GMT stamp of 14:05. The report carried the SPA byline and closed with the agency’s initials. No further details on the call, its duration, or any agreed outcomes were included in the source material.
Who received the phone call and from whom? SPA reported that Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah received a phone call from Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan Toshimitsu Motegi. The call was reported from Riyadh and dated October 15, 2026. The two officials were identified by name and title in the source, which described the exchange as taking place between the top diplomats of the two countries. The source did not state how long the call lasted or where Prince Faisal was when he received it.
What did the Japanese foreign minister say about the Houthi attacks? According to SPA, the Japanese foreign minister expressed his country’s strong condemnation of the terrorist Houthi militia’s attacks against the Kingdom. The source states that the condemnation was directed at repeated attacks targeting airports and civilian facilities in the Kingdom. The Japanese position was conveyed directly by Motegi to Prince Faisal during the call. The source did not specify which airports or civilian facilities were targeted, nor did it give a number for the attacks it described as repeated.
What other topics did the two ministers discuss? SPA reported that the two ministers reviewed cooperation relations between the two friendly countries and discussed the latest regional and international developments. They also discussed ways to enhance coordination and cooperation to ensure energy security and freedom and safety of navigation in regional and international waterways. Those items were named alongside the discussion of the Houthi attacks. The source did not state whether any specific mechanism or follow-up step was agreed for either file.
Did the source include any direct quotes from the call? No direct quotes from either minister appear in the source material. SPA reported the substance of the call — the condemnation, the review of bilateral relations, and the discussion of regional and international developments — without quoting Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah or Toshimitsu Motegi directly. The report was published from Riyadh on October 15, 2026, with a local time stamp of 17:05 and a GMT stamp of 14:05, and closed with the agency’s initials.
What details about the call were not included? The source did not state how long the call lasted, where Prince Faisal was when he received it, or whether any follow-up steps were agreed. It did not specify which airports or civilian facilities were targeted in the attacks the Japanese minister condemned, and it gave no number for the attacks described as repeated. It also did not indicate whether the two ministers set a date for further contact or discussed any specific coordination mechanism for energy security or navigation safety.