Press Releases
Japan-Sweden Foreign Ministers’ Telephone Talk
December 20, 2022
On December 20, commencing at 5:03 p.m., for approximately 20 minutes, Mr. HAYASHI Yoshimasa, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, held a telephone talk with H.E. Mr. Tobias BILLSTRÖM, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of Sweden. The overview of the talk is as follows.
- Minister Hayashi congratulated Minister Billström on his appointment as Minister for Foreign Affairs. Noting that Japan would hold the G7 Presidency and become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council next year, and that Sweden would hold the EU Presidency in the first half of the year, he expressed his intention to pursue further cooperation between Japan and Sweden as well as between Japan and the EU in order to address common challenges of the international community and realize a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific." In response, Foreign Minister Billström stated that he would like to further strengthen bilateral cooperation with Japan in a range of areas.
- The Ministers, confirming that it had become even more important for like-minded countries to strengthen cooperation on security issues under the current international situation, welcomed the signing and the entry into force of the "Agreement on the Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology between Japan and Sweden" on December 19.
- The Ministers also discussed regional situations, including Russia's aggression against Ukraine, the East and South China Seas and North Korea, and confirmed that they would continue to work together to further strengthen cooperation in the international arena.