Press Releases
Vice Minister Funakoshi’s visit to the U.S.
January 17, 2026
(Photo: United States Department of State)
(Photo: United States Department of State)
On January 15th and 16th, Mr. FUNAKOSHI Takehiro, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, held an exchange of views with the Honorable Christopher Landau, Deputy Secretary of State of the United States of America among others. The overview is as follows:
- On January 16th, Vice Minister FUNAKOSHI held a Japan-U.S. Vice-Ministers’ Meeting with Deputy Secretary Landau.
- In light of the current international situation, the two sides exchanged views broadly on Japan-U.S. cooperation, particularly in the fields of security, economy and economic security. The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to working closely together to further strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance, taking into account upcoming diplomatic events, including Prime Minister Takaichi’s visit to the United States, which is currently coordinated to be realized this spring.
- Building upon the outcomes of President Trump’s visit to Japan in October last year, the two sides concurred to steadily implement the agreement on tariffs between Japan and the United States, including the investment initiative. They also shared the view to further strengthen concrete cooperation on economy and economic security, including critical minerals and rare earths, critical technologies such as AI, and shipbuilding.
- The two sides welcomed the holding of the U.S.-Japan Dialogue on a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP). They concurred to promote Japan-U.S. cooperation in various fields through this Dialogue, and affirmed the importance of strengthening the network among like-minded countries under the vision of FOIP.
- In addition to issues related to China, the policies toward North Korea, including on the nuclear and missile issues as well as the abductions issue, the two sides exchanged views on regional situations in areas such as the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean including in Venezuela, and the Pacific Island countries, and affirmed the close coordination between Japan and the United States. Vice Minister FUNAKOSHI expressed his appreciation for the consistent support from the U.S. government regarding the abductions issue as confirmed by Deputy Secretary Landau.
- During his visit to the United States, Vice Minister FUNAKOSHI also exchanged views with Dr. Andrew Baker, Deputy National Security Advisor to the President of the United States. The two sides exchanged views broadly in light of the current international affairs, including on furthering close cooperation between Japan and the United States.