Courtesy Call on Prime Minister Naoto Kan by the Rt. Hon. William Hague, First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom (Overview)

July 15, 2010
Japanese

the Rt. Hon. William Hague, First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom(Photo)

(Photo: Cabinet Public Relations Office)

Prime Minister Naoto Kan received a courtesy call from the visiting Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom, Rt. Hon. Mr. William Hague, at the Prime Minister's Office on July 15 (Thu) from 4:40 p.m. 5:00 p.m. Overview of their discussion is as follows.

At the beginning, Prime Minister Kan congratulated Secretary Hague on his appointment as Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and extended a welcome to him. Prime Minister Kan also noted that he visited the U.K. last year and learnt a great deal about its parliamentary system. Additionally, he stated that the two countries, sharing a range of democratic values, should further strengthen bilateral relations and work together to address various global issued including Afghanistan.

Secretary Hague thanked the Prime Minister for his time during his busy schedule, and passed on greetings from U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron. He stated that the new U.K. government regards Japan as a key partner, and stressed his government’s intention to further strengthen bilateral trade and investment relations, noting the generally favorable bilateral relations.
Concerning bilateral relations, Secretary Hague welcomed Japanese investment in the United Kingdom and expressed his appreciation for their contribution to the creation of more than 100,000 jobs. He stated that the two countries should cooperate in addressing various related issues.

In response, Prime Minister Kan said that it is encouraging to have Prime Minister Cameron’s support for the Japan-EU economic partnership agreement (EPA), in the context of expanding Japan-U.K. economic relations.
Prime Minister Kan expressed his respect for the United Kingdom’s contribution to Afghanistan at great cost of life, and stated that Japan would extend US$5 billion over the next 5 years for civil support in areas including police enforcement and agriculture.

In response, Secretary Hague evaluated Japan’s assistance to Afghanistan, and noted his intention to further promote Japan-U.K. cooperation on a range of issues, including Afghanistan, climate change, nuclear non-proliferation, and development assistance.
Secretary Hague also briefed on the outcome of his recent visit to China, and Prime Minister Kan explained the current Japan-China relationship.

(END)