Japan-Denmark Summit Meeting
(Overview and Evaluation)
July 8, 2002
1. Overview
(1) On July 8 (Mon) Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Prime Minister of
Denmark Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who visited Japan to take part in the 11th
Japan-EU Summit, held a Japan-Denmark Summit Meeting at the Prime Minister's
Official Residence in Tokyo. Participating on the Japanese side, were Deputy
Chief Cabinet Secretary Kosei Ueno and others, and on the Denmark side, the
Permanent Secretary of Foreign and Defence Affairs of the Prime Minister's
Office Per Poulsen-Hansen and others.
(2) During the Summit Meeting, views were exchanged across a wide variety of
topics, including the Fourth Asia-Europe Meeting to be held in Denmark in
September 2002; the 2005 World Exposition to be held in Aichi Prefecture; the
visit to Japan by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark; grass-roots
exchanges; and issues related to social welfare.
2. Evaluation
(1) First Summit Meeting in 11 years
This Japan-Denmark Summit Meeting was the first held between the two nations
since then Prime Minister Poul Schluter made an official working visit to Japan
in 1991. This Summit Meeting provided an opportunity to further strengthen ties
between Japan and Denmark.
(2) Reaffirming a cooperative relationship for the future
The two nations reaffirmed that they would cooperate even more closely in the
future through such events as the Fourth Asia-Europe Meeting scheduled for
September 2002 and the visit to Japan of Queen Margrethe II in April 2003, and
the path of future cooperation was laid out.
(3) Building a personal relationship with the Prime Minister of Denmark that holds the Presidency of the European Council
Prime Minister Koizumi and Prime Minister Rasmussen, who represents the opinions of the European Union at international conferences to be held during the presidency in the second half of 2002, were able to forge a personal relationship, which is highly significant for the progress of Japan's relations with the EU.
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