Press Releases
Foreign Minister MOTEGI’s Meeting with IEA Executive Director Fatih BIROL
September 14, 2026
On September 14, commencing at 4:40 PM Mr. MOTEGI Toshimitsu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, held a meeting for approximately 40 minutes with Dr. Fatih BIROL, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) during his visit to Japan.
- At the outset, Minister MOTEGI stated that he was pleased that Japan and IEA have been able to work closely together to ensure the stability of energy markets in response to the heightened tensions in the Middle East, including through the IEA’s decision to implement the largest-ever coordinated release of oil stocks. Minister MOTEGI also expressed his appreciation for Executive Director Birol’s leadership.
Minister MOTEGI also stated that Japan has been advancing efforts to contribute to a stable global energy supply and enhance supply chain resilience through efforts under POWERR Asia, strengthening its relationship with other countries by holding high-level dialogue, and its call on the international community to ensure energy security. He expressed his hope to further strengthen the cooperation between Japan and the IEA, including further development of POWERR Asia. - In response, Executive Director Birol expressed his support for Japan's various initiatives for ensuring global energy security and, referring to the IEA’s efforts under the POWERR Asia as well as Japan’s contributions to the IEA, expressed his expectation for further strengthening the cooperation with Japan across a wide range of areas.
- Both sides also exchanged views on strengthening the presence of Japanese personnel at the IEA and enhancing the resilience of critical mineral supply chains, and confirmed that they would continue to cooperate closely.