Japan-Kazakhstan Relations
Courtesy call on President TOKAYEV of the Republic of Kazakhstan by Foreign Minister HAYASHI
April 29, 2022
On April 29, commencing at 10:00 a.m. (local time; same day, 1:00 p.m. JST) for approximately 30 minutes, Mr. HAYASHI Yoshimasa, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, who is visiting the Republic of Kazakhstan, paid a courtesy call on H.E. Mr. Kassym-Jomart TOKAYEV, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The overview of the meeting is as follows.
- At the outset, President Tokayev welcomed Minister Hayashi's visit to Kazakhstan and said that he is pleased with the development of bilateral relations in a wide range of fields such as the economic field and he would like to further develop a strategic partnership between the two countries. In response, Foreign Minister Hayashi said that he is pleased to be able to visit Kazakhstan for the first time in 12 years as Japan's Foreign Minister at the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. He welcomed the steady deepening of the strategic partnership through the mutual high-level visits and political dialogues. Both sides agreed to further develop bilateral relations, including cooperation through the "Central Asia plus Japan" dialogue.
- Minister Hayashi stated that Japan would like to cooperate with Kazakhstan on the situation in Afghanistan toward the realization of respect for human rights of all Afghanistan’s people, including girls and minorities, and the establishment of an inclusive political system. He further stated that he highly appreciates Kazakhstan's constructive efforts, such as accepting Afghan international students and exporting food to Afghanistan. In response, President Tokayev stated that he highly appreciates Japan's support for Afghanistan and its contribution to regional stabilization. In addition, Minister Hayashi strongly condemned Russia's aggression against Ukraine as a clear violation of international law and pointed out that this is a serious situation that jeopardizes the foundation of the international order, and emphasized the necessity of a united response from the international community. Both sides affirmed that they would continue to work closely at various levels on international issues, including Ukraine and Afghanistan.
- Both sides also discussed the situation in East Asia. They affirmed that they would continue to cooperate in dealing with North Korea, including the launch of ICBM-class ballistic missiles on the 24th of last month, other nuclear and missile issues, and the abduction issue. President Tokayev stated that it is important to respond to North Korea's nuclear issue, and that he would like to continue to cooperate in the international arena, including nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.