Japan-Brazil Foreign Ministers' Meeting

April 16, 2011
Japanese

On Saturday, April 16, Mr. Takeaki Matsumoto, Minister for Foreign Affairs, held a meeting at the Iikura Guest House with H.E. Amb. Antonio de Aguiar Patriota, Minister of External Relations of the Federative Republic of Brazil, during his visit to Japan. The overview of the meeting is as follows:

(1) At the start of the meeting, Minister Matsumoto expressed gratitude to the Government and the people of Brazil for their assistance and words of sympathy to Japan upon the Great East Japan Earthquake, and conveyed the intention to further strengthen bilateral relations as Japan moves forward toward reconstruction. In response, Minister Patriota explained that he has come to Japan on the instruction of President Rousseff in order to demonstrate solidarity that is all the more needed in the time of hardship, and paid his respects to the people of Japan for their calm and dignified manners and heroic acts in the midst of tragedy. Minister Patriota said that the safety of all Brazilian nationals in Japan, totaling over 250,000, has been confirmed, which was the greatest concern for the Government of Brazil, and that Brazil intends to contribute to Japan’s reconstruction process.

(2) Minister Matsumoto explained the situation at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and Japan’s responses to the incident, and requested further relaxation of food import restrictions which Brazil has introduced against products from Japan. In response, Minister Patriota explained that the said restrictions have been introduced in line with the international standards from the perspective of ensuring the safety of Brazilian people, and noted that Brazil is prepared to consider further relaxation if the situation improves.

(3) Concerning bilateral economic relations, the two Ministers agreed in expecting the early implementation of the social security agreement signed in July 2010. Minister Patriota mentioned the adoption of Japan-Brazil digital television standard in almost the entire region of South America as well as outside the region as an example of successful bilateral cooperation, and expressed his expectations for further technology transfer from Japan as well as Japan’s cooperation in constructing high-speed railways in Brazil. They also discussed cooperation in judicial fields, reinforced relations between Japan and MERCOSUR, close collaboration in the United Nations reform, and other matters.
During the luncheon after the meeting, Mr. Ikuo Yamahana, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, explained the state of damage in Iwate Prefecture, which he visited from April 12 to 15, and the two ministers exchanged views on cooperation in international fora for issues such as climate change, disarmament, and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Additionally, Minister Patriota explained the overview of the BRICS Summit Meeting which he also attended.

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

(END)