Telephone Conversation between Prime Minister Naoto Kan and H.E. Mr. Silvio Berlusconi, President of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Italy

February 3, 2011
Japanese

On Thursday, February 3 from 6:35 P.M., for about 20 minutes, Mr. Naoto Kan, Prime Minister of Japan, held a telephone conversation with H.E. Mr. Silvio Berlusconi, President of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Italy. The overview of the conversation is as follows.

At the outset, Prime Minister Kan expressed his appreciation for the support extended by the Italian government authorities to Japan’s operation of charter flights out of Egypt for Japanese nationals stranded in Egypt. Both leaders exchanged views on the situation in Egypt, and President Berlusconi explained a summary of the joint statement signed by European leaders. Prime Minister Kan stated that a peaceful transition to a democratic government in Egypt is needed, and that Japan will provide the necessary cooperation.
Both leaders exchanged views on their domestic economic situation and economic policies. Prime Minister Kan stated that first, he is working to break Japan free from deflation and achieve a growth rate which is higher than the currently forecasted rate of 1.5%. Prime Minister Kan expressed his commitment to opening up Japan, and in that context, expressed his intention to start economic partnership agreement (EPA) negotiations with the EU as part of this year’s agenda.
Prime Minister Kan said he would like to consider participating in Expo Milano 2015, responding to an invitation from President Berlusconi. Lastly, both leaders agreed to meet again at the G8 Summit at the end of May.

(*This is a provisional translation. The above date denotes the date of the issue of the original press release in Japanese.)

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