Japan-Kazakhstan Relations
Japan-Kazakhstan Summit Telephone Talk
May 12, 2021
On May 12, commencing at 4:10 p.m. for approximately 15 minutes, Mr. SUGA Yoshihide, Prime Minister of Japan, had a telephone talk with H.E. Mr. Kassym-Jomart TOKAYEV, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The overview of the talk is as follows.
- Prime Minister Suga stated that the relationship between the two countries is steadily progressing in fields such as politics, economy and culture. PM Suga further stated that Japan attaches great importance to the relationship with Kazakhstan for regional cooperation. President Tokayev stated that he would like to promote cooperation with Japan in not only trade and economic relations, but also clean energy and agriculture. Both sides concurred on cooperating to further develop the expanded strategic partnership between the two countries.
- Prime Minister Suga welcomed that Kazakhstan, with abundant natural resources, has the largest number of Japanese companies and the largest trade with Japan in Central Asia. He expressed his expectation that the activities of Japanese companies would be promoted by further improvements in the business environment. The two leaders concurred on continuing their cooperation through the “Central Asia plus Japan” Dialogue and on further developing the bilateral relations, noting that next year will be the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
- Prime Minister Suga expressed serious concerns regarding China’s unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East and South China Seas, including the Coast Guard Law, the situation surrounding Hong Kong, and the human rights situation in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. He asked for cooperation in responding to North Korea, including on the abduction issue. President Tokayev said that he takes Japan's awareness of the issues seriously and would like to continue to cooperate in the international arena.