Europe

1. Minister Blanár, representing Slovakia as the holder of the V4 Presidency, stated that he was pleased to hold the “V4 Plus Japan” Foreign Ministers’ Meeting for the first time in 5 years, highlighting Japan’s robust engagement in the region as the first Asian dialogue partner country to hold the “V4 Plus” dialogue with the V4 outside Europe. He expressed his desire to further promote the V4-Japan cooperation building on today’s meeting.
2. Minister MOTEGI expressed his gratitude for the strong cooperation of Slovakia, as the V4 Presidency, and the other members to date. He stated that the “V4 Plus Japan” format has tremendous potential in such fields as economy, science and technology, and so on. In addition, he stressed that solidarity and cooperation among Japan and the V4 countries are more important than ever in maintaining and strengthening a free and open international order based on the rule of law.

Minister MOTEGI and the V4 ministers confirmed their intention to cooperate in following three fields with significant potential.

1. Strengthening scientific and technological cooperation to build a safe, secure, trusted, and shared innovation ecosystem through “V4 Plus Japan” Science and Technology Workshops as well as cooperation under Horizon Europe, as trusted partners in scientific cooperation that share values.
2. Strengthening cooperation on global AI governance, including AI safety and security.
3. Recognizing the importance of the stability and development of the Western Balkans for Europe as a whole, continuing to support a strongly united Europe under fundamental values, and revitalizing the collaboration with V4 countries under “Western Balkans Cooperation Initiative”.

1. Minister MOTEGI stated that, as Japan-Europe cooperation is becoming increasingly important in recent years amid growing tensions in the field of economic security, Japan attaches great importance to cooperation with the V4 countries, which play a critical role in the EU.
2. In response, the V4 ministers expressed their gratitude for the contributions made by Japanese companies and stated that they would continue to support the activities of Japanese companies operating in their countries and work closely with Japan to build stable supply chains.

Minister MOTEGI explained Japan’s positions regarding regional affairs such as the situations in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as the Indo-Pacific, including North Korea’s nuclear and missile and the abductions issue. In response, the V4 ministers expressed their support for the vision of Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) based on the shared recognition that the security of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific is inseparable, and the importance of a free and open international order based on the rule of law as well as freedom of navigation. Minister MOTEGI and the V4 ministers acknowledged their intention to continue working closely together in addressing various challenges facing the international community.