Japan-Netherlands Relations

1. On October 30, commencing at 7:00 p.m., Prime Minister and Mrs. Shinzo Abe held a banquet at the State Guest House to welcome Their Majesties the King and Queen of the Netherlands, who are visiting Japan as State Guests.

2. His Majesty King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Her Majesty Queen Máxima were companied by personalities from both Japan and the Netherlands who are active in business, agriculture, academic and other fields, including H.E. Mr. Bert Koenders, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, H.E. Mr. Henk Kamp, Minister of Economic Affairs of the Netherlands, Mr. Seishiro Eto, Chairman of the Japan-Netherlands Parliamentary Friendship League, and Mr. Shigetaka Komori, President of the Japan-Netherlands Society.

3. Ahead of the dinner Prime Minister and Mrs. Shinzo Abe met with Their Majesties the King and Queen of the Netherlands for approximately 25 minutes. At the meeting, Prime Minister Abe stated he was happy that the two countries enjoy a friendly and amicable relationship, including a long history of exchanges between the Imperial Family of Japan and the Royal Family of the Netherlands, and mentioned the visit to Japan by Their Majesties will serve as an opportunity to greatly advance bilateral relations.

4. His Majesty King Willem-Alexander replied he had visited Japan number of times before, but is happy that Japan is the first country outside Europe that he is visiting as a State Guest since his inauguration, and hopes to deepen cooperation in fields such as agriculture, declining birth rates and aging populations, and renewable energy.

5. In addition, His Majesty the King and Prime Minister shared the view that Japan and the Netherlands, which share common values, will work together, and they also exchanged views on the necessity of promoting women’s roles in society.