Japan-Bulgaria Relations

May 20, 2025
Japanese
Prime Minister ISHIBA and Bulgarian President RADEV shake hands at a joint press conference (Photo: Cabinet Public Affairs Office)
Photo of the Meeting (Photo: Cabinet Public Affairs Office)
Prime Minister ISHIBA and Bulgarian President RADEV exchanging a joint statement (Photo: Cabinet Public Affairs Office)

On May 20, commencing around 6:10 p.m.for approximately 50 minutes, Prime Minister ISHIBA Shigeru held a meeting with H.E. Mr. Rumen RADEV, President of the Republic of Bulgaria, who was paying an Official Working Visit to Japan, followed by a working dinner held for approximately 60 minutes from 7:25 p.m. An overview of the events are as follows.
Additionally, the two leaders signed the “Joint Statement on Establishment of the Strategic Partnership between Japan and the Republic of Bulgaria”, upgrading the bilateral relationship to a “strategic partnership”.

  1. Introduction:
    1. Prime Minister Ishiba welcomed President Radev’s visit to Japan and stated that, as the international community faces various challenges, the relationship with Bulgaria, a member of EU and NATO, sharing values and principles, is important in the field of security.
    2. In response, President Radev stated that he was pleased to visit Japan again and his desire to further develop bilateral relations in various fields, including the economy.
  2. Bilateral Relations:
    1. Prime Minister Ishiba welcomed the progress in cooperation with Bulgaria, which aims to be a regional innovation hub, in the fields of IT,AI and energy.Both leaders agreed to futher strengthen economic relations through initiatives such as business missions.
    2. Prime Minister Ishiba also noted that Bulgaria, a NATO member state and bordering the Black Sea, is important in terms of security, and the two leaders agreed to cooperate in the security field as well.
    3. Furthermore, Prime Minister Ishiba expressed gratitude for Bulgaria’s cooperation in initiatives such as disaster prevention seminars for the Western Balkan region and confirmed that both countries will continue to cooperate in the future.. Both leaders confirmed their commitment to continuing implementing initiatives that benefit the region.(4)Following the summit meeting, both leadres signed the “Joint Statement on Establishment of the Strategic Partnership between Japan and the Republic of Bulgaria”, elevating the bilateral relationship to a “strategic partnership”.
  3. Regional Issues:
    1. The two leaders exchanged views on regional issues, including the situations in the Indo-Pacific and Ukraine.
    2. They concurred on the importance of cooperation among like-minded countries that value the rule of law and international order and share values and principles, amid the inseparable security of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions, and concurred to continue collaborating on the multilateral fora.

(Reference) Attached

Joint Statement on Establishment of the Strategic Partnership between Japan and the Republic of Bulgaria (English (PDF) Open a New Window / Japanes provisional translation (PDF) Open a New Window / Summary of the Joint Statement (Japanese) (PDF) Open a New Window)

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