Press Releases
Courtesy call on State Minister for Foreign Affairs HORII by the Honourable Raymonde GAGNÉ, Speaker of the Senate of Canada
March 4, 2026
On March 4, commencing at 10:00 a.m. for approximately 45 minutes, Mr. HORII Iwao, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, received a courtesy call from The Honourable Raymonde GAGNÉ, Speaker of the Senate (Senator, Canada), the Honourable Fabian MANNING, Senator, the Honourable Raymonde SAINT-GERMAIN, Senator, and the Honourable Duncan WILSON, Senator, visiting Japan at the invitation of Mr. SEKIGUCHI Masakazu, President of the House of Councillors. The overview of the meeting is as follows:
- At the outset, State Minister HORII pray for the souls of the victims of the horrible tragedy that occurred in British Columbia in February. State Minister HORII welcomed the close cooperation between Japan and Canada, including at the high-level visits, stating that Japan and Canada are "neighbors" across the Pacific Ocean and extremely important strategic partners in the Indo-Pacific who share fundamental values and principles.
- In response, Speaker Ganié expressed her gratitude for the warm hospitality extended by the Japanese side during this visit to Japan, and stated that Japan is an important partner for Canada, mentioning the active exchanges between the two countries in various fields.
- Both sides exchanged views on cooperation between Japan and Canada in the fields of security, economy, and people-to-people exchanges, and agreed to continue to work together to further deepen relations in the future.