Japan-United States of America Relations
Second Ministerial Meeting of the Japan-U.S. Economic Policy Consultative Committee (the Economic "2+2")
November 14, 2023
The Second Ministerial meeting of the Japan-U.S. Economic Policy Consultative Committee (the Economic "2+2") was held for approximately 60 minutes from 5:32 pm on November 14 (local time, 10:32 am on November 15th Japan time).
The meeting was attended by Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan KAMIKAWA Yoko and Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan NISHIMURA Yasutoshi, as well as the Honorable Antony Blinken, Secretary of State of the United States of America, and The Honorable Gina Raimondo, Secretary of Commerce of the United States of America. The overview of the meeting is as follows. A joint statement (PDF)
was issued after the meeting.
- At the outset, Minister KAMIKAWA pointed out that while the international community is facing many challenges, such as the prolonged Russian’s aggression against Ukraine, unstable and vulnerable supply chains, the global energy and food crisis, as well as the current situation surrounding Israel and Palestine, steady progress is being made in cooperation between Japan and the United States and among like-minded countries, and expressed her willingness to exchange perceptions on the direction in which Japan and the U.S. should work together to strengthen the rules-based economic order and enhance resilience in the Indo-Pacific region. The U.S. side welcomed the progress of efforts made under the Economic "2+2" and expressed its willingness to discuss in a candid manner how cooperation can be materialized to enhance supply chain resilience, address economic coercion, and promote and protect critical and emerging technologies. Secretary Raimondo also expressed her appreciation for Japan’s support for Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF).
- The two sides discussed two topics: (1) strengthening the rules-based economic order in the Indo-Pacific region, and (2) strengthening economic resilience as well as promoting and protecting critical and emerging technologies.
- Strengthening the Rules-Based Economic Order in the Indo-Pacific Region The Japanese side stressed the importance of Japan and the U.S. continuing to play a responsible role in the economic order of the Indo-Pacific region, and conveyed its position that Japan welcomes, as their concrete efforts, the progress made through IPEF. Japan and the U.S. also exchanged views on the economic order in the Indo-Pacific region. Japan delivered its views and initiatives related to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for TransPacific Partnership (CPTPP). The two sides shared their plans to continue working to address non-market policies and practices and economic coercion in order to build a free and fair economic order in the Indo-Pacific region.
- Strengthening Economic Resilience and Promoting and Protecting Critical and Emerging Technologies
The two sides confirmed their intention to accelerate cooperation, including on promoting and protecting their technology in areas such as semiconductors, AI, quantum, clean energy, and 5G. In addition, the two sides confirmed their intention to promote concrete collaboration in areas such as securing a stable supply of critical minerals and cooperation toward ensuring energy and food security.
- Following such discussions, the two sides concurred to continue discussions at the vice-ministerial level and to hold ministerial meetings on a regular basis in order to further expand and deepen Japan-U.S. cooperation in the economic field from a strategic point of view.