Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida welcomed on Sunday the interim deal reached by Iran and six major nations including the United States on curbing Iran's nuclear activities in return for the easing of sanctions imposed by Western countries, Kyodo reported. "We'd like to welcome it as a major first step," Kishida told reporters in Fuchu, western Tokyo, adding Tokyo will closely monitor whether the agreement will be carried out. Under the deal struck in Geneva earlier in the day, Iran will stop uranium enrichment above a fissile purity of 5 percent while halting construction of the Arak research reactor, which is feared capable of yielding potential bomb material.