Japan-France Relations

(1) Prime Minister Abe welcomed President Macron’s first visit to Japan as the President of the French Republic. Prime Minister Abe reiterated the importance of unifying the international community and of sending a strong message at the G20 Osaka Summit, and expressed his intention to work closely with President Macron, the Chair of G7 Summit 2019 in Biarritz , to lead the discussions. Furthermore, Prime Minister Abe stated that the Japan-France Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA), which entered into force today, symbolizes deepened cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and in the security and defense area between the two countries. Prime Minister Abe then stated that he would like to engage in meaningful exchanges of views with President Macron, for their cooperation towards the success of the G20 Osaka Summit and the development of the “Exceptional Partnership” between Japan and France.

(2) In response, President Macron expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome by Prime Minister Abe and stated that he was pleased to visit Japan as the second official guest in the Reiwa era. President Macron also expressed his intention to hold thorough discussions with Prime Minister Abe, as the Chairs of the G7 and the G20 respectively. Furthermore, President Macron expressed his delight at today’s issuance of the Roadmap on Japan-France Cooperation for Opening New Horizons between Japan and France Under an Exceptional Partnership (2019-2023), and stated that he would like to discuss a wide range of issues with Prime Minister Abe, based on the Roadmap, including cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, industrial cooperation and cooperation in the field of environmental sector. With regard to the G20, President Macron expressed his intention to cooperation with Prime Minister Abe to demonstrate the meaning of existence of the G20, in the face of various global challenges, including climate change.

The two leaders shared the view on the importance of making persistent efforts to look for common grounds and compromise at the G20 Osaka Summit, and shared the view that Japan and France would work closely together to send a strong message as the G20, on issues such as global trade, digital economy, environmental and global challenges and promotion of women’s empowerment.

(1) The two leaders welcomed the signing of memorandums of cooperation and other documents between the Japanese and French authorities, and shared the view to strengthen cooperation in the fields such as energy innovation, and sustainable mobility. In addition, the two leaders welcomed the progress of industrial cooperation regarding the industries such as civil aircraft and textiles, and confirmed to jointly support such cooperation.

(2) Prime Minister Abe requested that the EU’s and French Polynesia’s import restrictions on Japanese foods and feeds be eliminated as early as possible.

(3) With regard to culture and sports, the two leaders shared the view that Japan and France would exchange knowledge of large-scale international sports events and strengthen exchanges among the relevant organizations, given that they would host Rugby World Cups and Olympic and Paralympic Games successively.

(1) Regarding the situation surrounding North Korea, the two leaders reaffirmed that Japan and France would work closely together to realize the complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement of all WMDs and ballistic missiles of all ranges by North Korea, based on the United Nations Security Council resolutions. They also confirmed that Japan and France would continue to cooperate on measures against illegal ship-to-ship transfers by North Korea. In addition, Prime Minister Abe asked for understanding and cooperation towards the early resolution of the abductions issue, and recieved support from President Macron.

(2) In addition, the two leaders exchanged views on the situation regarding Iran. They shared concerns on heightened tensions in the Middle Eastern region, including Iran, and shared the view to cooperate towards easing tensions and stabilizing the situation.