Japan-Türkiye Relations
Luncheon Hosted by State Minister for Foreign Affairs KUNIMITSU with Dr. Fuat Oktay, Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye
May 20, 2026
On May 20, commencing at 11:45 a.m. for approximately 75 minutes, Dr. KUNIMITSU Ayano, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, held a working lunch with Dr. Fuat OKTAY, Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, who is visiting Japan.
- At the outset, State Minister Kunimitsu welcomed Chair OKTAY’s visit to Japan, noting his longstanding contributions to strengthening Japan–Türkiye relations, and stated that Japan wishes to further advance concrete cooperation across a wide range of fields with Türkiye, based on historical and traditional friendship between both countries.
- The two sides confirmed the importance of promoting efforts toward the early conclusion of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and the Social Security Agreement, both under negotiation and of further strengthening cooperation going forward, including the opening of the Turkish-Japanese Science and Technology University (TJU).
- They also exchanged views on cooperation regarding issues concerning illegal residents in Japan.