Japan-Sweden Relations
Exchange of Views between Foreign Minister Kamikawa and Director General Gårdfeldt, Swedish Polar Research Secretariat
January 10, 2024
On January 10, commencing at 1:50 p.m. local time (same day, 9:50 p.m. JST) for approximately 30 minutes, Ms. KAMIKAWA Yoko, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, during her visit to Stockholm, Sweden, held an exchange of views with Professor Katarina Gårdfeldt, Director General, Swedish Polar Research Secretariat. The overview is as follows.
- Minister Kamikawa stated that the Arctic, which the most fragile environment on earth is her life’s work, she has supported promotion of Japanese scientific research on the Arctic, people-to-people exchanges, and other forms of international cooperation since she established the Parliamentary League of Arctic Frontier Study in 2013, and has been make contribution as Secretary-General. Minister Kamikawa also stated that as Japan’s foreign minister, she would like to work on the Arctic as a part of their major Japanese foreign policy regarding the oceans, in light of the region’s geopolitical importance.
- Minister Kamikawa also stated that the Nordic countries are important partners to Japan on cooperation related to the Arctic. On the occasion of this visit to Sweden and Finland, her goal is to deepen Japan-Nordic cooperation with the "Japan’s Nordic Diplomacy Initiative,” which she stated.
- Professor Gårdfeldt and the participants explained about joint research in the field of natural science, such as the international Arctic joint research projects utilizing Swedish Arctic icebreakers, and joint research in the field of social science, such as the effects of global warming and industrialization on the Arctic. Both sides also exchanged views on how Japan and the Nordic countries, including Sweden, will continue the research cooperation about the Arctic in the future.