Japan-Laos Relations
Courtesy Call on Chief Cabinet Secretary KIHARA by H.E. Mr. Thongsavan Phomvihane, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Laos
May 22, 2026
On May 22, commencing at 10:30 a.m. for approximately 20 minutes, Mr. KIHARA Minoru, Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan, received a courtesy call from H.E. Mr. Thongsavan Phomvihane, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Laos.
- At the outset, Chief Cabinet Secretary KIHARA welcomed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Thongsavan’s visit to Japan. He also expressed his intention to expand bilateral relations under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Japan and Laos. He also stated that Japan would like to work together to advance cooperation aimed at enhancing resilience and promoting the freedom of countries in the region to decide for themselves under the updated FOIP.
- In response, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Thongsavan expressed his support for“Partnership On Wide Energy and Resources Resilience (POWERR Asia)”, recently launched by Prime Minister TAKAICHI, and his gratitude for Japan’s continuous support for the socio-economic development of Laos and stated his intention to further develop bilateral relations through people-to-people exchanges.
- Both sides exchanged views on addressing regional challenges, including the East and South China Seas, Myanmar, responses to North Korea, including the nuclear and missile issues as well as the abductions issue, and the situation in the Middle East and reaffirmed that they would coordinate closely in this regard.