Section 3 North America

1 Overview

<The Importance of Cooperation with the North American Region, Which Shares Fundamental Values and Principles>

Currently, the international community is at a turning point in history. The international community is becoming increasingly divided and confrontational due to factors such as the escalation of tensions in the Middle East and Russia's continued aggression against Ukraine.

In addition, the security environment surrounding Japan is becoming increasingly severe, as evidenced by North Korea's launch of ballistic missiles, including those of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)-class, and continued and strengthened unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force in the East China Sea and South China Sea, which greatly increases the importance of solidarity with allies and like-minded countries, including the G7, that share fundamental values and principles. The United States (U.S.) is Japan's only ally. The strong Japan-U.S. Alliance is the linchpin of Japan's foreign and security policy, and the foundation of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. It is also essential to have cooperation with Canada, a member of the G7 and Japan's important partner in the Indo-Pacific region that shares universal values. Cooperation with these countries, based on the relationships of trust that Japan has built over the years, is essential to maintaining peace and stability in the region and the international community.

<Foreign Policies of the U.S. and Canada>

In 2022, under the Biden administration, the U.S. announced its Indo-Pacific Strategy and National Security Strategy, which outline its commitment to tackling various challenges facing the international community in cooperation with allies and like-minded countries, including Japan. Based on this strategy, the U.S. has been proactive in its diplomatic activities, holding summits with the G7, Japan-Australia-India-U.S. (Quad), Japan-U.S.-Republic of Korea (ROK), Japan-U.S.-Philippines, and Japan-U.S.-Australia-Philippines, and emphasizing multilateral cooperation.

With an eye toward serving as the G7 Presidency in 2025, Canada placed importance on strengthening cooperation with like-minded countries, especially the G7 countries. Following the announcement of the Indo-Pacific Strategy in 2022, Canada continued to demonstrate a diplomatic stance that emphasized the Indo-Pacific region and the Arctic in its revised National Defense Policy in April 2024, and its Arctic Foreign Policy announced in December of that year. Specifically, throughout the year, Canada worked with like-minded countries in the Indo-Pacific region, including Japan, to combat ship-to-ship transfers,⁽¹⁾ monitor illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities, and conduct joint training with other countries. Regarding the Arctic, Canada issued a joint statement in July with the U.S. and Finland on cooperation in building icebreakers. Furthermore, the Arctic Foreign Policy announced in December clearly stated Canada's intention to strengthen cooperation with non-Arctic countries, including Japan.

In the economic field, as the chair of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in 2024, Canada took the lead in maintaining and strengthening a free and fair economic order in the Indo-Pacific.

• (1) In this context, “ship-to-ship transfers” refers to the transfers to or from North Korea-flagged vessels of any goods or items at sea, which UN Security Council resolution 2375 (adopted in September 2017) prohibits UN member states from facilitating or engaging in.

<Japan's Diplomatic Relations with North America>

Against this backdrop, 2024 was a year of further deepening relations between Japan and the U.S. and Canada. With the U.S. as Japan's only ally, the Japan-U.S. relationship is stronger and deeper than ever before, with multilayered cooperation in all areas, not just security and economy. Japan and the U.S. were in constant communication and cooperating at all levels, including holding five summit meetings (including one telephone call) and six foreign ministers' meetings (including one telephone call) between January 2024 and the end of February 2025, in an effort to maintain peace and stability in the region and the international community. In April, Prime Minister Kishida was the first Japanese Prime Minister in nine years to pay an Official Visit with State Dinner to the U.S. The visit deepened the personal relationship of trust between the two leaders and confirmed that Japan and the U.S. are bound by deep trust and multilayered friendship, and that they are not just bilateral or regional, but are global partners that work together to maintain and strengthen a free and open international order based on the rule of law. At the Japan-U.S. Summit Meeting in September and the Japan-U.S. Summit Meeting between Prime Minister Ishiba and President Joseph Biden in November, the two countries concurred on continuing to work closely together to maintain and strengthen Japan-U.S. relations, which have become stronger than ever. In February 2025, Prime Minister Ishiba visited the U.S. for the first Japan-U.S. Summit Meeting with President Donald J. Trump, where the two leaders confirmed that they would cooperate closely to realize a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)” and elevate the Japan-U.S. Alliance to new heights.

On the other hand, between January 2024 and the end of January 2025, Japan and Canada held three summit meetings and four foreign ministerial meetings (including one telephone call). At the meetings, the two countries confirmed that they would steadily implement the “Canada-Japan Action Plan for contributing to a free and open Indo-Pacific” jointly announced in 2022, and that Japan and Canada will continue to cooperate toward realizing FOIP. Cooperation based on the Action Plan has progressed steadily in areas such as security and the rule of law, including cooperation in the Japan-Canada Bilateral Exercise (KAEDEX24) and surveillance activities of IUU fishing. Furthermore, Japan-Canada relations have been further strengthened through the promotion of a wide range of diplomatic initiatives, including the G7 and CPTPP.