Countries & Regions

On Tuesday, October 8, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, during his visit to Bali to attend the APEC Summit, held a Japan-Mexico summit meeting with H.E. Mr. Enrique Peña Nieto, President of the United Mexican States. An overview of the meeting is as follows. 

 

 (1) Prime Minister Abe expressed his condolences in the wake of damages caused by the hurricane in Mexico last month. Prime Minister Abe also stated that he would like to maintain close dialogue with President Peña Nieto and that he hopes to further strengthen bilateral relations during the 2013-2014 Japan-Mexico Friendship Year. President Peña Nieto replied that Japan is Mexico’s most important strategic partner in Asia, and given that they enjoy a strong bond of friendship as “fraternal countries”, he will continue to further enhance that relationship in the future. President Peña Nieto also congratulated Prime Minister Abe on Tokyo’s successful bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020.

(2) Prime Minister Abe welcomed the fact that both trade and investment are steadily expanding based on the Japan-Mexico Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), and stated that given the recent notable increase in entry to the Mexican market by Japanese companies, further improvement in the business environment would be vital. Prime Minister Abe also expressed his hope that the various reforms being pursued by President Peña Nieto will help to further strengthen bilateral economic ties.

In response, President Peña Nieto expressed his gratitude for the trust Japanese companies are showing towards Mexico through their growing investment in the country, and stated that he will continue to support such investment. President Peña Nieto also mentioned that the number of Japanese tourists visiting Mexico exceeded 100,000 last year, and expressed his desire to strengthen the relationship in various areas.

 

　Prime Minister Abe expressed his gratitude for the support expressed by President Peña Nieto for Japan’s participation in the TPP negotiations during his visit to Japan in April this year, and stated that he wishes to cooperate closely with Mexico in the negotiations. President Peña Nieto replied that both countries are active promoters of free trade and that he would continue to cooperate more closely.

 

The two leaders exchanged views on Japan’s security policies, United Nation’s Security Council reform and other matters.