Japan-EU Relations

On February 16, for approximately 10 minutes from 2:55 p.m., Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio received a courtesy call from the Japan-EU Business Round Table (BRT) Co-Chair Mr. ENDO Nobuhiro (Executive Advisor for NEC Corporation), and acting Co-Chair Mr. Christopher D. THOMAS, (Representative Director, President of Merck Ltd.). The summary of the meeting is as follows:

1. At the beginning of the meeting, Mr. Endo handed Prime Minister Kishida the Joint Recommendations to the Government of Japan and the European Commission, which was adopted at the BRT Annual Meeting last November.
2. Mr. Endo explained that, at the annual meeting, while appreciating Japan's leadership in the G7, discussions were held on economic security, digital, green transition, healthcare, finance, and other topics. He also explained that there were high expectations for collaboration between Japanese and EU companies and expressed his hope that the Government of Japan and the European Commission would continue promoting Japan-EU business collaboration. Following this, Mr. Thomas spoke about the BRT's commitment to continue strengthening the valuable relationship between Japan and the EU.
3. Finally, Prime Minister Kishida stated that the recommendations from the Japan-EU BRT contribute to strengthening the Japan-EU economic relations. He also stated, taking into account the contents of the recommendations, his willingness in promoting public-private partnerships to further develop Japan-EU cooperation.