Japan-Belize Relations
Japan-Belize Summit Meeting and Working Lunch
(Photo: Cabinet Public Affairs Office)
(Photo: Cabinet Public Affairs Office)
(Photo: Cabinet Public Affairs Office)
On August 4, commencing at 12:45 p.m. for approximately 35 minutes, Mr. ISHIBA Shigeru, Prime Minister of Japan, held a summit meeting with Hon. Mr. John Antonio Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize, who is visiting Japan to participate in the National Day Event of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan. Following the meeting, the two leaders gave a joint press release, and after that, commencing at 1:35 p.m. for approximately 55 minutes, a working lunch was held. The overview is as follows.
1. Opening
- Prime Minister Ishiba welcomed Prime Minister Briceño’s visit to Japan in this commemorative Japan-SICA (Central American Integration System) Friendship Year and expressed his hope that the Osaka-Kansai Expo would provide an opportunity to showcase the appeal of Belize to Japan and to the world. Prime Minister Ishiba also expressed his intention to further strengthen cooperation with Belize, with which Japan shares values and principles, to maintain and strengthen the free and open international order based on the rule of law.
- In response, Prime Minister Briceño expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome extended by the Japanese side and his intention to use this meeting as an opportunity to further develop bilateral relations.
2. Bilateral Relations
- Prime Minister Ishiba stated that he is delighted by the strengthening of bilateral relations under Prime Minister Briceño, who is pro-Japanese and an expert on Japan, and who has maintained close ties between families with former Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCVs) .
- Prime Minister Briceño expressed his gratitude for Japan’s development cooperation over the years, including the long-standing dispatch of JOCVs.
- The two leaders concurred to develop bilateral relations in various fields, including economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.
3. Regional and International Affairs
The two leaders exchanged views on international affairs, including the situation in the Indo-Pacific and cooperation on common challenges in the international community such as climate change, and confirmed that they would work together to guide the international community toward dialogue and harmony rather than division and confrontation.