Japan-Argentina Relations
Japan-Argentine Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
July 7, 2022
On July 7, commencing at 4:15 p.m. (5:15 p.m., Japan time ), Mr. HAYASHI Yoshimasa, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, who is visiting Indonesia to attend G20 Foreign Minster’s Meeting held a foreign ministers’ meeting with H.E. Mr. Santiago Andrés Cafiero, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship of the Argentine Republic, for approximately 40 minutes. An overview is as follows.
- At the outset, Minister Hayashi stated that he was pleased to have a face-to-face meeting with Minister Cafiero and expressed his hope to work together with Argentina, which is a strategic partner that shares fundamental values, in various fields. Minister Hayashi also stated that Japan would continue to value its ties with Argentina through the Nikkei (Japanese immigrants and descendants) communities.
- The two ministers condemned that Russia's aggression against Ukraine is an attempt to unilateral change of the status quo by force and a clear violation of international law, and confirmed the need to address the effect of the surging prices of food and energy. Minister Hayashi stated that this situation undermines the very foundation of the international order, including in Asia, and expressed his hope to continue to work together with Argentina to maintain and strengthen the international order. Regarding the situation in East Asia, Minister Hayashi opposed any attempt to unilateral change of the status quo by force and the two minister spoke about working closely together in response to North Korea, including the nuclear, missile, and abductions issues.
- The two ministers concurred to closely cooperate in various fields in order to further strengthen the bilateral relations. In his remarks, Minister Hayashi noted the growing importance of Argentina in food and energy security, and expressed his hope to work together to strengthen economic ties between the two countries. Minister Cafiero stated that Argentina is a great producer of energy resource and Argentina would like to promote cooperation. Minister Hayashi also mentioned the importance of improving the business environment including the development of a legal framework, and the two ministers agreed to further promote cooperation in 5G infrastructure development.