Japan-Belgium Relations
Japan-Belgium Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (Working Lunch)
April 4, 2025
On April 4 commencing at 1:00 p.m. (local time; April 4, 8:00 p.m. JST) for approximately 75 minutes, Mr. IWAYA Takeshi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, who is visiting Belgium to attend NATO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, held a working lunch with H.E. Mr. Maxime Prévot, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Development Cooperation of the Kingdom of Belgium. The overview of the meeting is as follows.
- At the outset, Foreign Minister Iwaya congratulated Mr. Prévot on his appointment as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Development Cooperation, and expressed his desire to further strengthen bilateral relations with Belgium, a strategic partner with which Japan shares values and principles, in anticipation of the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan and the 160th anniversary of Japan-Belgium friendship in the coming year. In response, Minister Prévot stated that, in this difficult international situation, he hopes that Belgium and Japan will work further closely.
- The two Ministers appreciated the close ties between Japan and Belgium in a wide range of areas, including the semiconductor sector and other economic sectors, and concurred to establish a framework for further cooperation, mainly with the Belgian side and the Embassy of Japan in Belgium. Minister Iwaya welcomed Belgium's decision to dispatch a new military attaché to the Embassy of Belgium in Tokyo, and expressed his desire to further strengthen cooperation in the field of security.
- The two Ministers confirmed that Japan and Belgium will work closely together on various issues of the international community such as the situation in Ukraine and the situation in East Asia, such as their policies towards North Korea including the nuclear and missile issues as well as the abductions issue.