Japan-Canada Relations
Japan-Canada Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
January 13, 2024
On January 13th, commencing at 9:40 a.m. (local time; January 13th, 11:40p.m. Japan time), for approximately 100 minutes, Ms. KAMIKAWA Yoko, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, who was visiting Montreal, Canada, held a meeting with the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada. The overview of the meeting is as follows.
- At the outset, Minister Kamikawa said that it is a great pleasure to visit Canada for the first time in 9 years and meet with Minister Joly. In response, Minister Joly stated that she had been looking forward to Minister Kamikawa’s visit to Canada and she was particularly glad to welcome Minister Kamikawa to her hometown of Montreal. Also, Minister Kamikawa expressed her gratitude for receiving words of sympathy from the Government of Canada for the affected areas and victims of the Noto Peninsula Earthquake and the Haneda Airport runway collision.
- The two ministers concurred on further promoting Japan-Canada cooperation as well as G7 initiatives amid mounting challenges facing the international community and the growing importance of close collaboration between Japan and Canada and among the G7 countries.
- The two ministers exchanged views on the Indo-Pacific regional affairs including Taiwan which had its presidential election on January 13th (Taiwan time), China, Southeast Asia and Pacific Island countries, as well as the situation related to North Korea including its nuclear and missile programs and the abductions issue.
- Regarding the situation in the Middle East, Minister Kamikawa stated that Japan would continue to work closely with like-minded countries, including Canada, for the immediate release of the hostages, improving the humanitarian situation, and calming down the situation as soon as possible, as well as to prevent the current situation from spreading to the Middle East region at large. As for the situation in Ukraine, Minister Kamikawa explained to Minister Joly about her recent visit to Ukraine and stated that Japan would take the initiative in showing solidarity with Ukraine including through initiatives with the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) perspective. In response, Minister Joly explained Canada's diplomatic efforts as well as her thinking on regional issues. The two ministers concurred that they would closely cooperate with each other, within the G7 as well as among like-minded countries.
- The two ministers reviewed the progress in the "Japan-Canada Action Plan for contributing to a free and open Indo-Pacific region" one year after its release, and recognized the progress made in the areas of rule of law, energy security, and resilient critical mineral supply chains. The two ministers concurred that they would continue to promote cooperation between Japan and Canada, particularly in the areas of WPS and the Arctic.
- The two ministers had a candid discussion on the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), of which Canada is the chair this year, from a strategic perspective and concurred to continue to work closely together.
- The two ministers welcomed people-to-people exchanges including through the JET Program and the Kakehashi Project that underpin the Japan-Canada diplomatic relations and concurred that they would provide support at a high level to promote such exchanges.
- The two ministers concurred to continue their cooperation towards the success of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, and to work closely to achieve a world without nuclear weapons through realistic and practical efforts.