Japan-Türkiye Relations
Japan-Türkiye Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
October 30, 2026
On October 30, commencing at 1:00 p.m. local time (2:00 a.m. on October 31, Japan time) for 30 minutes, Mr. MOTEGI Toshimitsu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, who is visiting Atlanta, the United States, to attend the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, held a meeting with H.E. Dr. Hakan Fidan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye.
- At the outset, Minister MOTEGI expressed his respect for Türkiye’s ongoing mediation efforts regarding the situation surrounding Iran and other issues, and stated his intention to further deepen the cooperative relations between the two countries in various fields as strategic partners.
- In addition, Minister MOTEGI also noted that the strategic partnership between the two countries has been strengthened in concrete ways, as demonstrated by the growing momentum toward the opening of the Turkish-Japanese Science and Technology University (TJU) and the early conclusion of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). He then stated that, building on the outcomes of the summit meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister TAKAICHI Sanae in September, he expressed Japan’s intention to promote future cooperation to enrich the TJU, accelerate the EPA negotiations, and strengthen cooperation in the areas of security and defense.
- In response, Foreign Minister Fidan stated that he would like to steadily advance cooperation in the various areas pointed out by Minister MOTEGI.
- The two Ministers also discussed the current situation in the Middle East and concurred that it is of the utmost importance to realize an early de-escalation and stabilization of the situation in the entire Middle East region. In particular, they share the view that restoring free and safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait is an urgent priority from the perspective of global energy security. Furthermore, both sides discussed the situation in Ukraine and East Asia, and confirmed that they would work closely together for the peace and stability of the region and the international community.