Japan-Belgium Relations

On October 12th, Mrs. Akie Abe, the spouse of the Prime Minister, had a meeting with Her Majesty Queen Mathilde, Queen of the Belgians, who was paying a State Visit to Japan. The meeting was held in a friendly atmosphere.

Mrs. Abe expressed her welcome for Her Majesty Queen Mathilde's visit to Japan and Her Majesty Queen Mathilde expressed her gratitude for the warm welcome from the Japanese people.

Her Majesty Queen Mathilde conveyed her appreciation for Mrs. Abe's participation in the seminar “Launching and landing in a fulfilling carrier” held by Wallonia Export & Investment Agency on October 11th. Her Majesty Queen Mathilde asked about “WAW! (World Assembly for Women) 2016,” an international conference for women that Japan will host this December, and Mrs. Abe explained the Japanese government's policy on women's active participation to the society including the World Assembly for Women.

In addition, Her Majesty Queen Mathilde and Mrs. Abe exchanged their views on their common fields of interest, such as women's empowerment through micro-finance in developing countries as well as importance of investment in education. Her Majesty Queen Mathilde mentioned that a great number of excellent Japanese musicians have participated in the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition of Belgium, which is held in Belgium every year.