Read Out: Minister Freeland speaks with foreign affairs minister of Japan
March 27, 2018 - Tokyo, Japan - Global Affairs Canada
During her bilateral visit to Japan, Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with H.E. Taro Kono, Japan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs. Building on Japan’s engagement and active participation in the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on Security and Stability on the Korean Peninsula in Vancouver on January 16, 2018, this bilateral meeting was an occasion for Ministers Freeland and Kono to reaffirm their engagement to maintain diplomatic and economic pressure on North Korea to completely, verifiably and irreversibly abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Minister Freeland reaffirmed Canada’s unwavering support and ongoing cooperation with Japan and other partners in the region for a peaceful, diplomatic solution to the North Korea crisis. Both ministers welcomed the recent high-level inter-Korean dialogue and hope that it will lead to progress on the nuclear issue.
Ministers Freeland and Kono agreed that the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting will be an important opportunity for both Canada and Japan to show global leadership and engage G7 partners on pressing global challenges, including North Korea, Russia and Ukraine, to focus on gender equality and to reaffirm Canada’s and Japan’s shared commitment to the rules-based international order.
Both ministers also discussed the importance of deepening the bilateral security cooperation between Canada and Japan to address global and regional security challenges. To this end, the ministers agreed that they look forward to the signature of an acquisition and cross-servicing agreement as soon as possible, and to intensify efforts to collaborate on key areas, including disarmament, non-proliferation and maritime security. They also agreed that a 2+2 deputy minister-level dialogue on peace and security should take place at the earliest opportunity to further strengthen our security ties.
The ministers also confirmed that they would work toward strengthening the bilateral economic relationship, including by scheduling for June 2018 in Tokyo the next meeting of the Joint Economic Committee, a deputy minister-level dialogue. Ministers Freeland and Kono expressed their concern about growing threats to the global, rules-based trade system and underlined their determination to continue to cooperate to defend it.
