Japan-EU Relations
Telephone Talk between Prime Minister Kishida and President Michel of the European Council
November 29, 2021
On November 29, commencing at 6 p.m. for approximately 20 minutes, Mr. KISHIDA Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan, held a telephone talk with H.E. Mr. Charles Michel, President of the European Council. An overview of the talk is as follows.
- At the outset, President Michel stated that it was very unfortunate that he had to cancel his visit to Japan on short notice due to the surge in COVID infections, but he would still like to work with Prime Minister Kishida on Japan-EU relations. Prime Minister Kishida expressed his regret at the cancellation of the visit but was delighted at the opportunity to exchange views and looked forward to exchanging views in person at a time convenient to both parties.
- Prime Minister Kishida welcomed the EU's Joint Communication on the EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, which was announced in September. President Michel stated that the Communication was based on Japan's concept of a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific," and that he was grateful for the Prime Minister’s response and looked forward to continued cooperation with Japan in various fields. The two leaders shared the view to steadily advance Japan-EU cooperation to realize a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific."
- Prime Minister Kishida also stated that in order to lead the global trend in improving capitalism, he will work with the EU to tackle global issues such as climate change and to realize a new form of capitalism. Based on the Japan-EU EPA and the SPA, the two leaders concurred to work together in areas such as digital, green, cyber, supply chain, science and technology and tackling disinformation. They shared the view to advance cooperation based on the Japan-EU Partnership on Connectivity and Quality Infrastructure.
- The two leaders also exchanged views on the regional situation, including China and North Korea. The two leaders affirmed that they would continue to cooperate in dealing with North Korea, including on the abductions issue.