Press Releases
State Minister for Foreign Affairs HORII’s attendance at the Critical Minerals Ministerial hosted by the Secretary of State of the United States (Outcome)
February 5, 2026
On February 4 (local time), Mr. HORII Iwao, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, visited the United States (Washington D.C) to attend the Critical Minerals Ministerial hosted by the Honorable Marco Rubio, Secretary of State of the United States of America.
- This meeting, hosted by State Secretary Rubio, was held with the attendance of The Honorable JD Vance, Vice President of the United States of America, The Honorable Scott Bessent, Secretary of the Treasury of the United States of America, The Honorable Ambassador Jamieson Greer, United States Trade Representative and The Honorable Chris Wright, Secretary of Energy of the United States of America as well as ministerial-level representatives from a wide range of countries, including Canada, the Italian Republic, the European Union (EU), Australia, the Republic of India and the Republic of Korea.
- Following Vice President Vance and Secretary Rubio, State Minister HORII delivered opening remarks. Referring to the risk of disruptions to critical mineral supply chains, he stated that the stable supply of critical minerals is indispensable to the sustainable development of the global economy. He also underscored the importance of enhancing collaboration with like-minded countries on the demand and supply sides and expressed his strong commitment to strengthening the resilience of critical mineral supply chains.
- At the meeting, the launch of the Forum On Resource Geostrategic Engagement (FORGE), the follow-on initiative to the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP), was announced, and participants discussed the promotion of cooperation among like-minded countries through the FORGE. In addition, active discussions took place regarding trade cooperation and investment cooperation in the minerals sector.