January 9, 2024
Starting at 2:00 pm on January 9th (9:00 pm Japan time) for approximately 75 minutes, Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, who is currently visiting the Republic of Finland, held a foreign ministerial meeting. Lunch with HEM. First meeting with Elina Valtonen, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Finland. The outline is as follows.
Furthermore, at a joint press conference after lunch, Minister Kamikawa announced “Japan’s Nordic Diplomacy Concept (PDF).”
‘ shall be the basic policy of Japan’s diplomacy in Northern Europe.
- At the outset, Minister Kamikawa stated that he was very happy to be able to visit Finland for the first time in 39 years as Japan’s foreign minister and to have his first meeting with Foreign Minister Valtonen, and expressed his gratitude to Japan’s foreign minister. . We received words of sympathy regarding the Noto Peninsula earthquake. Minister Kamikawa stated that Japan and Finland are strategic partners who share values and principles, and stated that in addition to strengthening bilateral relations, he would like to strengthen cooperation in the context of NATO and the EU. Minister Kamikawa also stated that she would like to cooperate as a female minister on issues such as WPS and gender. In response, Foreign Minister Valtonen said that he was very happy to have Minister Kamikawa visit Finland, and that Japan and Finland have built good relations in a wide range of fields, including politics, economics, and culture, and that he hopes to further strengthen relations in the future. I said that I would like to do so. Good bilateral relations.
- Regarding bilateral relations, Minister Kamikawa reiterated Japan’s support for Finland’s membership in NATO and expressed his desire to deepen cooperation to further strengthen Japan-NATO cooperation. The two ministers then confirmed the deepening of cooperation between the two countries in economic and scientific fields such as advanced technology, renewable energy, 5G/6G, and supercomputers, and agreed to continue strengthening various exchanges in the future. Did. People-to-people and intellectual exchanges between the two countries, especially through working holiday programs. Minister Kamikawa also welcomed Finland’s participation in the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo and expressed his hope that further business opportunities will be created for companies from both countries.
- Minister Kamikawa stated that the five Nordic countries, which share values and principles with Japan, are deeply interconnected regions, and that he would like to deepen cooperation not only bilaterally, but also within the framework of Japan and the Nordic countries. Ta. Minister Kamikawa stated that under the “Japan’s Nordic Diplomacy Initiative,” cooperation with the five Nordic countries will be promoted with a focus on four areas of common interest between Japan and the five Nordic countries: (1) the Arctic and oceans; and (2) I stated that I would like to do so. gender equality, including WPS; (3) strengthening economic ties, including green, digital, science and technology; and (4) security and defense cooperation. Regarding this initiative, Foreign Minister Valtonen stated that it is a great idea and supports it, and both ministers agreed to promote cooperation based on this initiative.
- In light of Minister Kamikawa’s visit to Ukraine on January 7, the two ministers exchanged views regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Foreign Minister Valtonen expressed his gratitude for Japan’s strong commitment, including Minister Kamikawa’s visit to Ukraine. Furthermore, the two ministers also exchanged views on the Israeli-Palestinian situation and the Indo-Pacific situation, and confirmed that they will work closely together, including on dealing with North Korea in the nuclear and missile issues and the abductions issue. . The two ministers also agreed to cooperate on global issues such as strengthening the functions of the United Nations, including reform of the United Nations Security Council.