Japan-EU Relations
Meeting between Prime Minister Kishida and President von der Leyen of the European Commission
March 24, 2022
Prime Minister Kishida who has a talk with President von der Leyen (Photo: EU)
Prime Minister Kishida who has a talk with President von der Leyen (Photo: EU)
On March 24, commencing at noon (local time; same day, 8:00 p.m. JST) for approximately 20 minutes, Mr. KISHIDA Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan, who was visiting Belgium for the G7 summit, held a meeting with H.E. Dr. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission. An overview of the meeting is as follows.
- Prime Minister Kishida stated that the crisis in Ukraine is growing more serious, and that unity within the G7 is needed now more than ever. He emphasized the importance of close cooperation with the EU, with whom Japan shares fundamental values. In response, President von der Leyen mentioned that she highly appreciates and welcomes Japan working with the EU concertedly from the beginning to respond to this crisis, including swiftly imposing the wide-ranging sanctions on Russia and supporting Ukraine. The two leaders concurred to continue to cooperate with the international community as G7 members.
- The two leaders shared the view that Russia's aggression against Ukraine is a serious situation that shakes the very foundations of the entire international order, not just for Europe but for Asia as well. The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of cooperation between Japan and the EU toward a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" in light of the current situation. They also concurred to continue to work together to hold fruitful discussions at the G7 Elmau Summit in June.
- Prime Minister Kishida stated that North Korea's nuclear and missile activities, including the launch of an alleged new ICBM-class ballistic missile today (March 24), are a clear and serious challenge to the international community. They confirmed that Japan and the EU would continue to work closely together in dealing with North Korea.
- The two leaders concurred to coordinate to send a strong message from Japan and the EU to the international community at the next Japan-EU Summit Meeting.