Japan-Germany Foreign Ministers’ Meeting

   On April 30 (Saturday), for approximately 40 minutes from 3:40 pm, Minister for Foreign Affairs Takeaki Matsumoto, who is currently paying an official visit to Berlin in order to participate in the Second Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, held a meeting with H.E. Dr. Guido Westerwelle, Federal Foreign Minister and Deputy Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany. An outline of the meeting is as follows.

1. Japan Germany Relations and the Great East Japan Earthquake
   Foreign Minister Westerwelle said that he was very glad that he and Foreign Minister Matsumoto were able to continue their talks in Berlin following their previous talks that took place when he had visited Japan earlier in the month. Foreign Minister Westerwelle also said that he appreciated Foreign Minister Matsumoto’s visiting Berlin despite the current severe situation in Japan and that Germany stood ready to lend Japan its continuing support.
   In reply to this, Foreign Minister Matsumoto stated that Foreign Minister Westerwelle’s visit to Japan had served to encourage the Japanese people and that he valued Foreign Minister Westerwelle’s initiative in holding a conference of foreign ministers concerning non-proliferation and disarmament, which are important concerns for Japan also. Moreover, Foreign Minister Matsumoto stated that Japan is making efforts to ensure the safety of its nuclear power plants and that it will continue pursuing these efforts.
   Foreign Minister Matsumoto also said that the Japanese House of Representatives had adopted a resolution concerning the 150th anniversary of the commencement of Japan-Germany relations and that he wished to see even more active relations between the two countries in the future.
   
   
2. Japan EU-EPA
   Foreign Minister Westerwelle said that Germany supports the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and that he was expecting the next regular Japan-EU Summit to yield satisfactory results for both sides.
   In response, Foreign Minister Matsumoto said that in the interests of proceeding with the recovery effort in Japan following the earthquake, it is important to move forward with the opening of negotiations concerning the EPA between Japan and the EU, which is important from the standpoint of economic activity, and that consequently Japan would like to be able to count on the continuous cooperation of Foreign Minister Westerwelle in order to reach an agreement concerning the opening of negotiations at this year’s Japan-EU Summit.