Japan-France Foreign Ministers' Meeting

July 7, 2012
Japanese

(Photo)Japan-France Foreign Ministers' Meeting-2

On Saturday, July 7, from 5:20 p.m. for around 35 minutes, Mr. Koichiro Gemba, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, held a meeting with H.E. Mr. Laurent Fabius, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the French Republic, who was visiting Japan. An overview of the meeting is as follows.

Opening Statement and Bilateral Relations
Minister Gemba welcomed Minister Fabius's visit to Japan to attend the Tokyo Conference on Afghanistan. Minister Gemba expressed hope that the two countries could cooperate in a visible manner toward forging “excellent partner relations.” To this end, looking ahead to President Francois Hollande's visit to Japan, Minister Gemba proposed that the countries undertake preparations to yield positive results of the visit in terms of their bilateral partnership and cooperation for the coming approximately five years. Minister Fabius concurred on this proposal and invited Minister Gemba to visit Paris within this year for the holding of a foreign ministers' strategic dialogue. Minister Fabius expressed strong expectation for the joint development of defense equipment and strengthening of cooperation in a range of fields, including the environment and energy sector and tourism.
Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA)
Minister Gemba urged that the French Government make a political decision on the launch of EPA negotiations from a broader perspective, stating that an EPA would contribute to economic growth and employment expansion, to which the Hollande administration attaches importance.

In response, Minister Fabius stated that he expected Japan to demonstrate more progress on non-tariff measures and government procurement towards an EPA. Minister Gemba replied that it was in the negotiations that those issues could be further addressed.
Regional Situation
Minister Gemba explained his thoughts as the Chair of the following day's Tokyo Conference on Afghanistan and expected Minister Fabius to demonstrate strong political will on the assistance for the country. Furthermore both ministers exchanged views on the Iran issue and shared the view to realize close coordination on the matter.

(*The foregoing is a provisional translation. The date indicated above denotes the date of issue of the original version in Japanese.)

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