Japan-France Relations
Parliamentary Vice-Minister Ms. YOSHIKAWA Yuumi Attended Reception commemorating the Port of Tokyo Call by French Frigate "Lorraine”
May 31, 2023
On May 30, Ms. YOSHIKAWA Yuumi, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, attended a reception held on board of the French frigate "Lorraine" during a port call at the Port of Tokyo to commemorate its port call. The overview of the reception is as follows.
- At the beginning of the reception, following the opening remarks by Mr. Xavier Bagot, Captain of "Lorraine", Parliamentary Vice-Minister Yoshikawa made her remarks.
- In her remarks, Parliamentary Vice-Minister Yoshikawa welcomed the port call of "Lorraine" to the Port of Tokyo and expressed her respect for the contribution of "Lorraine", a latest multi-mission frigate, to the evacuation operation in Sudan, and reiterated her gratitude for the important support and cooperation from France in the evacuation of Japanese nationals and others from Sudan.
- She stated that Japan and France are "Exceptional Partners" based on common fundamental values, and that she was pleased to see the close communication between the two countries through a series of high-level dialogues, including Japan-France Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in April, the Seventh Japan-France Foreign and Defense Ministers’ Meeting ("2+2") and Japan-France Summit Meeting held in May respectively.
- She also noted that the cooperation in the area of security and defense between Japan and France, both being Indo-Pacific nations, has become much closer in recent years, and that various joint training exercises have been conducted. She stated that the port call of "Lorraine" is a good opportunity to make known both domestically and internationally the cooperation between Japan and France in the field of security and defense as well as the cooperation for the realization of a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific", then she expressed her hope for further development of Japan-France relations in the future.