Japan-Slovakia Relations
State Minister for Foreign Affairs HORII’s attendance at the reception to celebrate the Constitution Day of Slovakia
September 16, 2026
On September 15, Mr. HORII Iwao, State Minister for Foreign Affairs, attended a reception to celebrate the Constitution Day of Slovakia at the Delegation of the European Union to Japan (Europe House), and delivered his remarks on behalf of the Government of Japan, following H.E. Mr. Ivan Surkoš, Ambassador of the Slovak Republic to Japan. The overview is as follows.
- At the outset, State Minister HORII extended his congratulations to the people of Slovakia on the occasion of Constitution Day of the Slovak Republic. He stated that high-level exchanges between our two countries have been flourishing building on the strong foundation of the long-standing friendship spanning more than 100 years, since the establishment of diplomatic relations with the then Czechoslovakia in 1920.
- State Minister HORII then highlighted Foreign Minister MOTEGI's visit to Bratislava at the end of August this year. During this visit, the "V4 Plus Japan" Foreign Ministers' Meeting was held for the first time in five years, with Slovakia currently holding the presidency of the Visegrad Group and that showed our shared commitment to a free and open international order, in addition to the bilateral meetings. State Minister HORII expressed his appreciation to the Government of Slovakia for its excellent work as the chair.
- Furthermore, State Minister HORII also mentioned the sister city relationship between Nosegawa Village in Nara Prefecture and Vysoké Tatry City in Slovakia. As the sister city relations will mark its 30th anniversary next year, which serve as a symbol of exchanges between Japan and Slovakia, State Minister HORII expressed his expectation for further deepening of bilateral people-to-people exchanges.