Japan-Israel Relations

On December 25th, from 12:10hrs local time, for approximately 45 minutes, H.E. Mr. Taro Kono, Minister for Foreign Affairs, paid a courtesy call on H.E. Mr. Reuven Rivlin, President of the State of Israel, during his visit to Israel. The overview is as follows.

1. In the beginning, President Rivlin welcomed Minister Kono's visit to Israel and showed his respect to Japan's Imperial Family. Also, President Rivlin, referring to the many challenges which the Asian and Middle Eastern regions face, revealed his expectation to promote cooperation between the two countries.
2. In response, Minister Kono, by mentioning significant development of the bilateral relationship in recent years including the economy and tourism sectors, expressed his willingness to further cooperate for the stability in the region.
3. In addition, Minister Kono asked President Rivlin for continuous support in order to pursue the development of the "Corridor for Peace and Prosperity" initiative. In response, President Rivlin praised the initiative led by Japan, and stressed that he would like to continue cooperation for peace and stability in the region. Also, President Rivlin showed his expectation for Japan to play more active role in the region, by making the most of its good relationship with all parties in the region.
4. In addition, President Rivlin and Minister Kono exchanged views on the regional issues including the Middle East Peace Process and North Korea, and reaffirmed that they would continue to work closely on these issues.