bbm state visit to japan

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• Japan-Philippines Relations

President Marcos of the Republic of the Philippines to Visit Japan

His Excellency Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., President of the Republic of the Philippines, and First Lady Louise Araneta–Marcos will conduct an Official Visit to Japan from Wednesday, February 8 to Sunday, February 12, 2023.

• During their stay in Japan, Their Majesties the Emperor and the Empress of Japan will give audience to the President and the First Lady. Mr. KISHIDA Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan, will hold a meeting with President Marcos and host a working dinner.
• Japan and the Philippines are neighboring maritime nations connected by historical bonds and strategic partners sharing fundamental values. The Government of Japan wishes that the visit by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., and First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos will further deepen the bilateral cooperation.

[Reference]

• (1) President Marcos was inaugurated as the 17th President of the Republic of the Philippines on June 30, 2022. This will be President Marcos’ first visit to Japan as President.
• (2) Prime Minister KISHIDA and President Marcos held their first talk in May 2022 and conducted a Summit-level Working Lunch in New York in September 2022.

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Philippines' Marcos to make 'working visit' to Japan next week

Feb. 8-12 trip aimed to bolstering business and security ties

MANILA -- Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will embark on an "official working visit" to Japan next week, in what Manila calls a "consequential" trip aimed at strengthening the countries' strategic partnership.

The trip, from Feb. 8 to Feb. 12, will include a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and an audience with Emperor Naruhito.

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JICA President Tanaka held talks with President Marcos of the Philippines

February 21, 2023

On February 10, JICA President Tanaka Akihiko held talks with the President of the Republic of the Philippines, Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr., in Tokyo. At the beginning of their discussion, President Tanaka shared his expectation for the further deepening of the relationship between Japan and the Philippines, building on the strong trust fostered through the two countries’ long-lasting friendship. Introducing some of the impressions from his visit to the Bangsamoro Muslim Mindanao Autonomous Region last month, he emphasized the importance of the Mindanao peace process, which will eventually contribute to the stability, development, and prosperity of the whole country. He pledged JICA’s commitment to its continuous cooperation with the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, including building the latter's capacity for public administration, under close coordination with the Government of the Philippines. In response, President Marcos expressed his gratitude for JICA’s comprehensive cooperation, which includes infrastructure development, disaster prevention, and the pursuit of peace and prosperity in Mindanao, as well as his expectation for Japan’s sustained cooperation as an important partner of the Philippines.

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PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. is set to go on an official visit to Japan on February 8 to 12 during which at least seven key agreements between Manila and Tokyo will be signed along with several business deals, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

The trip, according to DFA Assistant Secretary for Asian and Pacific Affairs Neal Imperial, is expected to reaffirm strong relations between the Philippines and Japan.

It will be Marcos’ first visit to Japan, since becoming president, and his second face-to-face-meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida whom he met last year on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in the United States.

Marcos’ visit to Japan, his third since the start of the year and his 10th since becoming president, is on the invitation of the Japanese prime minister.

“The official working visit is expected to reaffirm the strong and vibrant relations between the two countries. It also seeks to maximize the full potential of PH-Japan strategic partnership in all its aspects and facilitate closer defense, security, political, economic, and people to people ties,” Imperial said.

Imperial said Japan is the only country with which the Philippines has a free trade agreement, or the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement.

Japan is the country’s second largest trading partner, the third largest export market of the country, and second top source of imports.

Imperial said seven key bilateral documents or agreements covering cooperation in infrastructure development, defense, agriculture and information and communications technology between the two countries will be signed during the visit on top of several business deals.

Asked to elaborate on the key agreements, Imperial said the Department of National Defense and the Ministry of Defense of Japan will sign the “umbrella terms of reference” on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief cooperation, and exchange of notes about a $3billion loan agreements on infrastructure projects such as the North-South Commuter Railway from Malolos in Bulacan to Tutuban in Manila and the North-South Commuter Railway Extension from Malolos to Clark International Airport, and from Tutuban to Calamba in Laguna.

He did not elaborate on the proposed memorandum of cooperation in the field of information and communications technology, and on agriculture but expressed hope that the visit will result in more exports of agricultural products to Japan especially bananas and avocado.

The President will also meet with Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako.

He will also have “roundtable” business meetings and forums on February 9 and 10, including one with chief executive officers of Japanese shipping companies and associations, which is expected to enhance the global competitiveness of Filipino seafarers and advance partnerships on maritime education and welfare programs for Filipino seafarers.

Marcos will also meet with members of the Filipino community in Tokyo before he returns to Manila.

Imperial said he does not expect the Japan trip to be affected by issues about Filipino comfort women during World War II and about four Japanese fugitives detained in the Philippines. He said case of the fugitives who Japan want deported is a matter now being handled by the Department of Justice and Japan’s Ministry of Justice.

“We don’t think it will affect, in any way, the visit of the President and we do not expect it to be raised during his meeting with counterpart,” he said.

Marcos will be joined in the five-day Japan trip by a “large business delegation,” Imperial said, together with First Lady Louise “Lisa” Marcos, former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, Speaker Martin Romualdez, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual, Energy Secretary Rafael Lotilla, Tourism Secretary Cristina Frasco, Presidential Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil, and Special Assistant to the President Antonio Lagdameo Jr.

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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. embarks on his third foreign trip in 2023, for an “official working visit” to Japan.

Marcos visits Tokyo from February 8 to 12, at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. In Japan, Marcos and his entourage are set to meet with their Japanese counterparts, sign bilateral agreements, and attend meetings with business leaders.

This is Marcos’ ninth overseas trip since assuming the presidency in June 2022.

We have stopped updating this page as of February 13, 2023. To follow developments on this issue, please visit our topic page on  Philippines-Japan relations .  

LATEST UPDATES

Watch: arrival of marcos from japan, marcos: ph may get involved if taiwan conflict breaks out.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. told Japanese news outlet Nikkei in an exclusive interview on Sunday, February 12, that the Philippines would likely become involved if conflict broke out in the Taiwan Strait.

“When we look at the situation in the area, especially the tensions in the Taiwan Strait, we can see that just by our geographical location, should there in fact be conflict in that area…it’s very hard to imagine a scenario where the Philippines will not somehow get involved,” Marcos was quoted as saying. “We feel that we’re very much on the front line.”

Nikkei also reported that Marcos said he would prioritize the welfare of 150,000 Filipinos in Taiwan in the event of conflict. Tensions between Taiwan and China have risen in recent years.

Pascual: Now up to PH gov’t to make foreign investment pledges real

Filipino community in Japan excited to meet Marcos

Inside the Belle Salle, OFWs are excited to meet Marcos. Tourism Secretary also says OFWs here will have a chance to win round trip tickets back home to PH and a condominium from Megaworld. pic.twitter.com/9MHsQzxOWC — Sofia Tomacruz (@sofiatomacruz) February 12, 2023

Many here excited to see Marcos and have the chance to snap a picture with the President too. pic.twitter.com/k9yCUDqcLr — Sofia Tomacruz (@sofiatomacruz) February 12, 2023

Protests vs Marcos in Japan

Outside the venue of Marcos’ meeting with the Filipino community in Japan, groups and individuals staged a protest against the raising for PhilHealth fees for OFWs, the Marcos family’s continued unpaid taxes, red-tagging in the Philippines, the killing of journalist Percy Lapid, and the continued imprisonment of former senator Leila de Lima. 

The Filipino community meeting is Marcos’ last event in his official visit to Japan. 

Some OFWS also calling for an end to red tagging, justice for slain journalist Percy Lapid, and to free former senator Leila de Lima. pic.twitter.com/g4sKjeD3mg — Sofia Tomacruz (@sofiatomacruz) February 12, 2023

Philippines, Japan moving in ‘general direction’ of VFA-like agreement – Romualdez

Speaker Martin Romualdez said that the Philippines and Japan are moving in the “general direction” of entering into a military deal that would allow their troops to conduct joint drills and access military bases in the Philippines.

Romualdez, a cousin of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., was among Philippine government officials who traveled with the President for his ongoing five-day official visit to Japan.

“That’s the general direction…. We’re all in the same region and we’re all experiencing the same issues and concerns,” Romualdez told reporters in an interview Friday night, February 10.

Read more .

In Japan, Romualdez pushes for charter change as ‘final piece of the puzzle’ for foreign investments 

During President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s official visit to Japan, Speaker Martin Romualdez continued his push to amend the 1987 Constitution, this time arguing it was the “last piece of the puzzle” in attracting foreign investments to the Philippines. 

“The Philippines has gone a long way when it comes to legislation…. What we’re looking at now is how to make the Philippine economy, you know, more competitive. At the bedrock of that obviously is the constitution, and…the Philippines’ Constitution unfortunately is known to be one of the most restrictive constitutions,” Romualdez said in an interview with reporters. 

He said he planned to further discuss economic issues linked to amending the Constitution, with hearings currently ongoing at the House. 

“We will see how we can make our Constitution more open and less restrictive because we feel that that is the final piece of the puzzle to bring about a better economic environment, a more open one, to be more competitive,” he said. 

Economic experts have been divided on whether or not there was a need to amend or revise the Constitution in order to relax restrictions on foreign investments. Proponents mostly said changes were necessary to attract foreign investment, while others argued that existing laws were already liberal enough for foreign businesses to operate in the Philippines.

Marcos’ pitch to Japanese firms: ‘When you think growth, think Philippines’

“The Philippines has a great deal more to offer Japanese investors,” President Marcos tells Japanese executives.

LOOK: President Marcos meets with Emperor Naruhito in Japan

Imperial audience: Marcos and First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos with Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako on February 9. Their interaction at the imperial palace spanned about 30 minutes, with Marcos inviting the emperor to visit the Philippines soon. @rapplerdotcom pic.twitter.com/owBXUeaUOo — Sofia Tomacruz (@sofiatomacruz) February 10, 2023

Marcos vows ‘ready pool’ of high-skilled seafarers for Japan

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'Welcome to Hokkaido!' Marcos pokes fun at Japan trip rumors

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. seemed to address rumors about his supposed weekend trip to Japan when he had this sarcastic welcome for reporters covering him in Cavite to Hokkaido.

Marcos' remark came after rumors circulated online that he was not physically present during the situation briefing on the effects of Severe Tropical Storm Paeng on October 29 because he was in Japan.

In a press briefing in Noveleta, Cavite, where he led the distribution of assistance to typhoon victims, the President seemed to be aware of the rumors.

"Welcome to Hokkaido!" he told reporters as he left the venue.

After rumors that he traveled to Japan at the height of Typhoon Paeng, President Marcos cheekily tells reporters covering him in Cavite, "Welcome to Hokkaido!" ( MPC Pool) @manilabulletin pic.twitter.com/8oP3NMdSZb — Argyll Cyrus Geducos (@argyllcyrus_MB) October 31, 2022

Reporters covering him tried to get a clarification or a formal statement about his whereabouts over the weekend, but the President continued on his way out.

On Sunday, Malacañang denied the rumors that Marcos went to Japan for the long weekend.

Marcos is expected to make a State Visit to Japan sometime next year.

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FACT SHEET: Japan Official Visit with State Dinner to the United   States

Today, President Biden welcomed Prime Minister Kishida of Japan for an Official Visit with State Dinner to celebrate the deep and historic ties between our two countries. This visit also reflects the upward trajectory of the U.S.-Japan Alliance as it evolves into a global partnership that promotes a shared vision of progress and prosperity for the future. The two leaders’ ambitious efforts span the depth and breadth of the Alliance to include cooperation on defense and security; space; advanced technology and economic cooperation; diplomacy and development; and people-to-people ties.

This bilaterally coordinated fact sheet provides an overview of political understandings that were affirmed or reaffirmed during the Official Visit with State Dinner, as well as plans for further cooperative activities between the United States and Japan.

DEFENSE AND SECURITY COOPERATION

Our defense and security ties form the core of our Alliance and are the cornerstone of regional peace and security. Recognizing that the Alliance has reached new heights, we plan to further bolster our defense and security cooperation to allow for greater coordination and integration.

Upgrading Alliance Command and Control: The United States and Japan intend to bilaterally upgrade our respective command and control frameworks to enable seamless integration of operations and capabilities and allow for greater interoperability and planning between U.S. and Japanese forces in peacetime and during contingencies. More effective U.S.-Japan Alliance command and control provides strengthened deterrence and promotes a free and open Indo-Pacific in the face of pressing regional security challenges. In order to support this initiative, they reaffirm to deepen Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) cooperation and Alliance information sharing capabilities, including through the Bilateral Information Analysis Cell.

Exploring Advanced Capabilities Cooperation under AUKUS Pillar II: Recognizing Japan’s strengths and the close bilateral defense partnerships with the AUKUS countries, AUKUS partners – Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States – are considering cooperation with Japan on AUKUS Pillar II advanced capability projects.

Bolstering Regional Networked Security: As our two countries deepen cooperation and coordination within the Alliance, we also look to expand our efforts to enhance regional security. The United States and Japan intend to work together toward our vision to cooperate on a networked air defense architecture, incorporating future capabilities with Australia. We will explore enhanced cooperation, including missile defense information sharing to counter growing air and missile threats. As our two countries look to ensure a secure and peaceful region, the United States and Japan plan to conduct deterrence operations to address escalatory or provocative activities around Japan.

Deepening U.S.-Japan Defense Industry Cooperation : The United States and Japan plan to leverage our respective industrial bases to establish an Alliance defense production capacity to meet the demand for critical capabilities over the long term. We will convene a Forum on Defense Industrial Cooperation, Acquisition and Sustainment (DICAS) co-led by the U.S. Department of Defense and Japan Ministry of Defense to identify priority areas for partnering U.S. and Japanese industry, including on co-development, co-production and co-sustainment. As a part of this mutually beneficial effort, we announce our intention to explore co-production of advanced and interoperable missiles for air defense and other purposes to further bolster the Alliance deterrence posture. Our two countries also commit to establishing a working group to explore opportunities for future fighter pilot training and readiness, including AI and advanced simulators, and co-development and co-production of cutting-edge technologies such as common jet trainers to maintain combat-ready next-generation fighter airpower.

Leveraging Regional Maintenance and Repair Capabilities: The U.S. Department of Defense plans to work with U.S. Congress to authorize the U.S. Navy to use private shipyards to conduct maintenance and repairs of 90 days or less on U.S. Navy ships deployed to the Indo-Pacific from homeports in the United States, including Guam. Additionally, the U.S. Navy continues to review opportunities to conduct maintenance and repair of forward-deployed U.S. Navy ships at Japanese commercial shipyards. The United States and Japan plan to explore the possibility of conducting maintenance and repair on engines of Japan-based U.S. Air Force aircrafts including fourth generation fighters. Supporting the new DICAS’s oversight of co-sustainment, the two countries will convene the first Working Group for Ship Repair in Japan by June 2024 to coordinate future maintenance and repair opportunities

Enabling Japan’s Stand-off Defense and Counter-hypersonic Capabilities: The United States continues to support Japan’s capability development, highlighting the signing of the Letter of Offer and Acceptance for Japan to acquire U.S. Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles and the start of a training pipeline and ship modifications for Japan to acquire operational capability. The United States and Japan plan to also continue to pursue cooperative development of a Glide Phase Interceptor program to counter hypersonic threats, which aims to strengthen regional deterrence and build on long-standing missile defense cooperation between the two countries.

Advancing Trilateral Cooperation : The United States and Japan with Australia intend to seek to advance trilateral intelligence reconnaissance, and surveillance (ISR) operational coordination, including by identifying key capabilities to integrate into exercises and training. Building on the announcement at the Australia Official Visit in October 2023 to pursue trilateral cooperation with Japan on unmanned aerial systems (UAS), our three countries are pursuing cooperative opportunities in the rapidly emerging field of collaborative combat aircraft and autonomy. Continuing the momentum from the Camp David trilateral summit, we welcome progress on establishing an annual multidomain exercise between the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea (ROK). Recognizing the commitments made in the Atlantic Declaration and the Hiroshima Accord, and as the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic regions become ever more interlinked, both countries welcome the announcement of regular U.S.-Japan-UK trilateral exercises, beginning in 2025, as they enhance their shared and enduring security.

Deepening Cooperation on Information and Cyber Security: The two countries pledge to continue to deepen their cooperation on information and cyber security to ensure the Alliance stays ahead of growing threats and builds resilience in the information and communication technology (ICT) domain. They plan to also enhance their cooperation on the protection of critical infrastructure. The United States and Japan plan to establish a working group of relevant experts to develop an action plan on achieving mutual recognition on cybersecurity labelling schemes for Internet of Things.

Boosting our Humanitarian Response Capacity : Recognizing the importance of rapidly responding to frequent and severe climate change-related and other natural disasters, we plan to explore cooperation on the establishment of a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief hub in Japan.

Deepening U.S.-Japan Defense Science and Technology Cooperation:   The United States and Japan continue to evolve bilateral science and technology cooperation through the Defense Science and Technology (S&T) Cooperation Group (DSTCG). Co-chaired by the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (USD(R&E)) and the Commissioner for the Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency (ATLA), the DSTCG aims to better integrate and align U.S. and Japan defense S&T ecosystems.

Mitigating Impacts on Local Communities: In order to maintain deterrence and mitigate impact on local communities, we are firmly committed to the steady implementation of the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan in accordance with Okinawa Consolidation Plan, including the construction of the Futenma Replacement Facility at Henoko as the only solution that avoids the continued use of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma.

Cooperation on Environmental Issues: The United States and Japan affirm the importance of continued bilateral coordination on stable stationing of USFJ, including on environmental cooperation.

SPACE COOPERATION

As we further strengthen the foundation of our alliance, we also are looking to the future. Our two countries will continue to pioneer and lead on space exploration to include on the Moon.

Signing of Historic Lunar Surface Exploration Implementing Arrangement: The United States and Japan signed a historic implementing arrangement for human spaceflight cooperation on the Moon. Japan will provide and maintain a pressurized rover to support astronauts living and working on the Moon, while the United States will allocate two astronaut flight opportunities to the lunar surface for Japan on future Artemis missions . The shared goal is fora Japanese national to be the first non-American astronaut to land on the Moon on a future Artemis mission. This pressurized rover is intended to enable astronauts to travel farther and work for longer periods on the lunar surface.

Negotiating a Space Technology Safeguards Agreement: The United States and Japan commenced negotiations on a space technology safeguards agreement which is designed to provide the legal and technical framework for U.S. commercial space launch from Japan. The space technology safeguards agreement has the potential to open new commercial opportunities in a range of advanced technologies related to space.

Expanding Space Science Cooperation : Building on the 2023 U.S.-Japan Framework Agreement, Japan will participate in NASA missions, including Dragonfly and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Dragonfly is NASA’s robotic mission to Saturn’s moon Titan to investigate its habitability and prebiotic chemistry wherein Japan will provide a seismometer to Dragonfly’s suite of scientific instruments. The Roman Space Telescope is NASA’s flagship next generation observatory; Japan will contribute hardware to support the Coronagraph instrument as well as ground station support. The United States and Japan plan to also collaborate on JAXA’s Next-generation Solar-observing Satellite, SOLAR-C, which is intended to investigate the mysteries of solar atmospheres by conducting spectroscopic observations of UV radiations from the Sun.

Deepening Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) Constellation Cooperation: The United States and Japan announced their intention to collaborate on a future Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) Hypersonic Glide Vehicle (HGV) detection and tracking constellation. This includes cooperation on demonstration, bilateral analysis, information sharing, and potential collaboration with the U.S. industrial base. The integration between U.S. and Japanese constellations of LEO satellites provides an opportunity to improve communications and increase the resilience of both nations’ space capabilities.

Enhancing Satellite Cooperation : The United States and Japan announced the completion of three new operational ground stations for Japan’s Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) in Alaska, California, and Guam. The new ground stations will enhance Japan’s ability to monitor and maintain the accuracy of QZSS. Furthermore, Japan will launch two QZSS satellites hosting payloads from the Department of Defense by March 2026.

ECONOMIC, TECHNOLOGY, AND CLIMATE COOPERATION

Technology innovation will drive the alliance in the 21 st century. Our two countries pledge to continue to work closely together on critical and emerging technologies such as AI, quantum, semiconductors, and clean energy. Our enhanced collaboration and investment in these technologies provide opportunities for greater ties and prosperity for both of our countries as we seek to secure our economic and technological futures.

Economic Cooperation

Major Commercial Deals: The private sector in both of our countries recognize the incredible opportunities and promise of growing our commercial ties, especially in areas such as critical and emerging technologies. We welcome the establishment of a Japan Innovation Campus supporting Japanese startups in Silicon Valley and the “Global Startup Campus” in Tokyo, and support accelerating investment in our two countries to foster innovation. We also welcome the following major new and recent commercial deals, among the many, that demonstrate our strong and vibrant economic ties:

Private Sector Investment

• Microsoft has announced it will invest $2.9 billion over the next two years in Japan in artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing and data centers, an expanded digital skilling program to train more than three million people, the founding of a Microsoft Research lab in Japan, and cybersecurity cooperation with the Government of Japan to enhance Japan’s cybersecurity resilience.
• Google plans to invest $1 billion in digital connectivity for North Pacific Connect, which expands the Pacific Connect Initiative, with NEC, to improve digital communications infrastructure between the United States, Japan, and Pacific Island Nations.
• Daiichi Sankyo intends to invest $350 million in constructing a new manufacturing building, laboratory and warehouse at its facility in New Albany, Ohio. Daiichi Sankyo estimates the creation of 900 jobs across the United States over three years.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced it will invest approximately $15 billion in Japan by 2027 to expand existing cloud infrastructure to serve as the backbone for AI and other digital services in the country. AWS estimates this planned investment could contribute up to $37 billion to Japan’s GDP and support an estimated average of more than 30,500 full-time equivalent jobs in local Japanese businesses each year.
• Toyota has announced an additional investment of nearly $8 billion that it expects will add an estimated 3,000 more jobs to increase capacity to support battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles battery production in Greensboro, North Carolina.  This is Toyota’s first automotive battery plant in North America, and the plant’s total investment is now nearly $13.9 billion; Toyota expects it will create an estimated 5,100 jobs.
• Honda Aircraft Company has announced an additional investment of $55.7 million for production of its new HondaJet 2600 model in North Carolina. It brings the total investment in the HondaJet business in North Carolina to $573.4 million.
• UBE Corporation has invested $500 million in its Waggaman, Louisiana, a Justice40 community, electrolyte solvent facility project for batteries which it expects to create 60 new jobs.
• Yaskawa Electric Corporation is investing approximately $200 million in new manufacturing facilities for robotics and semiconductor motion solutions in the states of Wisconsin and Ohio which is expected to employ about 1,750 workers and increase the Yaskawa footprint in the United States by about 25 percent.
• MITSUI E&S, its U.S.-based subsidiary PACECO, and Brookfield are working together to reestablish final assembly of port cranes in California. This is the first time since 1989 that the United States has had this capacity, and it is expected to contribute to securing the safety of U.S. port infrastructure.
• FUJIFILM Corporation announced an investment of $200 million in two U.S. subsidiaries to expand its global cell therapy contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) capabilities. The investments are earmarked for Madison, Wisconsin and Thousand Oaks, California, and FUJIFILM estimates the investment could create up to 160 new jobs.

Collaborative Government-Private Sector Engagement:

• General Atomics Aeronautical Systems plans to provide two MQ-9B SeaGuardian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) which will add high performance and surveillance ability to the Japan Coast Guard (JCG). This project will provide $152 million in U.S. exports and is expected to support 700 U.S. jobs.
• As the first foreign company named as a trusted partner in Japan’s Moonshot program of Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) on quantum computers, Infleqtion will collaborate with the Japanese Institute of Molecular Science (IMS) on developing a powerful quantum computer using Infleqtion’s quantum technology.
• Quantinuum, a U.S. quantum computer manufacturer, plans to provide RIKEN, a Government of Japan National Research and Development Agency, exclusive access to and use of a quantum computer for a period of five years – representing $50 million in quantum service exports.

Enhancing Financial Sector Cooperation : The United States and Japan are committed to strengthening our partnership to bolster cross-border investment and support financial stability. To this end, we intend to organize a roundtable this year, convening public and private sector stakeholders to discuss capital markets integration, identify potential key reforms, and bring to bear expertise from our respective financial sectors and regulatory authorities.

Engaging on Sustainable Investment: The United States and Japan pledge to continue to collaborate and build upon their foundation of successful public-private sector engagement. This initiative enables dialogues and forums through which to share best practices and promote mutually beneficial opportunities for U.S. and Japanese businesses in the areas of sustainable investment, risk management, and corporate value creation. By the end of next year, we intend to jointly host one or more roundtables to connect U.S. and Japanese private sector companies with investment opportunities while promoting sustainable value creation (SX).

Building Transparent, Resilient, and Sustainable Supply Chains : The United States and Japan welcome the initiation of discussions between the U.S. Department of Commerce and Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) under the framework of the U.S.-Japan Economic Policy Consultative Committee (our economic “2+2”) to accelerate joint efforts to address supply chain challenges and opportunities in mutually determined strategic sectors, such as current-generation and mature-node (“legacy”) semiconductors, along with like-minded countries, as appropriate. Both sides seek to cooperate to address supply chain vulnerabilities, such as those posed by non-market policies and practices, including by gaining a better comprehension of such vulnerabilities in strategic sectors.

Critical and Emerging Technology and Innovation

Strengthening Artificial Intelligence Research Collaboration: Building on the landmark university-corporate strategic partnerships in quantum computing and semiconductor engineering launched on the sidelines of the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Hiroshima, the United States and Japan welcome a new $110 million joint Artificial Intelligence partnership with the University of Washington and University of Tsukuba as well as Carnegie Mellon University and Keio University through funding from NVIDIA, Arm, and Amazon, Microsoft, and a consortium of Japanese companies. This innovative partnership is expected to advance AI research and development and enhance U.S.-Japan global leadership in cutting-edge technology. We welcome the initiation of AI and quantum technology cooperation between Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) and NVIDIA, exploring the potential cooperation in the field of computing and development. We welcome the new Project Arrangement on high-performance computing and AI between the U.S. Department of Energy and the Japan’s Ministry of Education Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and the new Memorandum of Understanding on AI for Science between Argonne National Laboratory and RIKEN to foster collaboration. We welcome cooperation between U.S. and Japanese companies toward the development of foundation models for generative AI, including contribution of NVIDIA’s GPUs to Japanese computational resources companies such as Sakura Internet and Softbank and other computational resources from Google and Microsoft to Japanese AI foundation models development companies.

Launching Quantum Technology Partnerships: To promote our bilateral industrial cooperation on quantum computing, the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) intends to partner with Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) to build robust supply chains for quantum technology and related standardization. The University of Chicago, the University of Tokyo, and Seoul National University established a partnership to train a quantum workforce and strengthen their collective competitiveness in the global economy.

Enhancing Cooperation on Semiconductors: Building on our long history of cooperation on semiconductor technology, we welcome the initiation of discussions among Japan’s Leading-Edge Semiconductor Technology Center (LSTC) and U.S. research initiatives, such as the U.S. National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC) and the U.S. National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program (NAPMP), toward the creation of an agenda for U.S.- Japan cooperation, including an R&D roadmap and workforce development. We welcome robust U.S.-Japan private sector cooperation, especially in next-generation semiconductors and advanced packaging. U.S. and Japanese companies are exploring the wide range of possibilities available through optical semiconductors through partnerships like the Global Innovative Optical and Wireless Networks (IOWN) Forum.

The U.S. Department of Labor plans to invite Japanese counterparts in the semiconductor sector to participate in technical workshops with the U.S. private sector and educational institutions to discuss optimal ways to train the next generation of designers, builders, and professionals in advanced semiconductor research and manufacturing.

Strengthening Cooperation for Safe, Secure and Trustworthy AI: The United States and Japan are committed to further advancing the Hiroshima AI Process by expanding support from partner governments and AI actors. The United States and Japan acknowledged and plan to support each other in establishing national AI Safety Institutes and committed to future collaboration, including on interoperable standards, methods, and evaluations for AI safety. A crosswalk of Japan’s AI Guidelines for Business with the NIST AI Risk Management Framework is currently underway and is designed to promote interoperability in our policy frameworks for AI.

Reducing AI Risks and Harms from Synthetic Content: The United States and Japan pledge to cooperate on reducing risks and harms of AI-generated content. The countries commit to provide transparency to the public, to the extent possible and appropriate, by authenticating and labeling official government produced content as well as detecting and identifying AI-generated content and content altered or manipulated by AI. Both governments plan to take steps independently and cooperatively on technical research and standards development.

Establishing a New Science and Technology Partnership: The United States and Japan announce a partnership to catalyze innovation, facilitate knowledge exchange, and promote entrepreneurial endeavors that contribute to the advancement of science and technology, and through the State Department’s Global Innovation through Science and Technology (GIST) program. The United States and Japan also endorse joint efforts among their universities and companies to foster human capital for the purpose of increasing governability on digital and emerging technologies under the initiative of U.S.-Japan Digital Innovation Hub and Advanced Technology Workshop

Expanding National Science Foundation Collaboration: The United States and Japan welcome the signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation between the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) to partner on NSF’s Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program. This entrepreneurship training program aims to strengthen lab to market transition by helping researchers more effectively target their discoveries to customer needs. Through the Global Centers program, NSF has committed $25 million in awards for bioeconomy research and JST will support at least three awards. The two agencies also plan to collaborate on research on the designing materials which will revolutionize our engineering future.

Strengthening International Joint Research in Scientific and Technological Fields: The United States and Japan welcomed strengthening collaboration between the national research institutes and universities in science, technology, and innovation as well as the exchange of researchers through joint research to promote U.S.-Japan talent mobility and circulation, such as the Adopting Sustainable Partnerships for Innovative Research Ecosystem (ASPIRE) in eight areas: AI and information, biotechnology, energy, materials, quantum, semiconductors, telecommunications, and healthcare. We welcome further bilateral collaboration on global ocean observation and Arctic research. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Fukushima Institute for Research, Education and Innovation (F-REI) are pursuing a Memorandum of Cooperation to establish a collaborative relationship to increase opportunities for joint research in select topics including energy, robotics, radiation science, nuclear disaster response, and agriculture.

Promoting Open and Interoperable Approaches to Telecommunications Networks: As the world becomes more interconnected, the United States and Japan pledge to continue to promote open, standards-based approaches to telecommunications networks that are interoperable, secure, and multi-vendor in nature. The United States and Japan intend to explore opportunities to promote Open RAN commercialization in third countries, including Indo-Pacific countries. The United States and Japan commit to continuing to engage both bilaterally and with like-minded partner countries through fora such as the Quad.

Climate and Clean Energy

Expanding U.S.-Japan Clean Energy and Climate Cooperation: The United States and Japan are launching a new high-level dialogue on our two countries’ implementation of respective domestic measures and maximize respective synergies and impacts, including the Inflation Reduction Act and Green Transformation (GX) Promotion Strategy, aimed at accelerating energy transition progress this decade, promoting complementary and innovative clean energy supply chains, and improving industrial competitiveness.  For the advancement of the U.S.-Japan Climate Partnership, recalling relevant CMA decisions, we further plan to aggressively implement our 2030 nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and develop ambitious 2035 NDCs in line with a 1.5C warming limit. We encourage all major economies to submit bold, 1.5C-aligned 2035 NDCs that reflect economy-wide absolute reduction targets including all greenhouse gases, sectors, and categories, and commit to prioritizing concrete and timely steps towards the goal of accelerating the phase-out of domestic unabated coal power. The United States and Japan intend to also work together to secure a successful outcome at the 29 th UN Climate Change Conference on a new collective quantified goal that reflects a realistic increment and broadened contributor base.

Expanding Quality Infrastructure Investment: The United States and Japan plan to work together and with partner countries in strategic economic corridors on fostering investment under the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI), including cooperation in the Indo-Pacific through the PGI-IPEF InvestmentAccelerator. Our two countrieswill continue to seek cooperation on critical minerals and other projects, including those along the PGI Lobito Corridor. The United States and Japan have worked to establish a Blue Dot Network Secretariat at the OECD to certify quality infrastructure projects.

Building Resilient Critical Mineral Supply Chains: The United States and Japan resolve to explore joint projects, including through the Minerals Security Partnership and the Partnership for Resilient and Inclusive Supply-chain Enhancement (RISE), including ones that diversify key supply chains of critical minerals, and support recycling efforts for electrical and electronic scrap in the United States, Japan, and other Indo-Pacific likeminded partners. To that end, the United States welcomes the MOU between the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC) and La Générale des Carrières et des Mines (GECAMINES) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in alignment with our shared commitment with PGI’s development of the Lobito Corridor.

The United States and Japan intend to continue facilitating $170 million in annual U.S. e-scrap exports to Japan for environmentally sound recycling under the OECD Council Decision on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Wastes Destined for Recovery Operations and strengthen cooperation through facilitating a policy dialogue on increasing circularity of critical minerals and raw materials, which are indispensable for decarbonization and reducing negative environmental impacts.

Deepening Energy Cooperation : Both of our countries recognize the importance of clean energy as we look to combat the effects of climate change and lay the groundwork for clean and resilient economic growth this century. The United States and Japan announced the U.S.-Japan Strategic Partnership to Accelerate Fusion Energy Demonstration and Commercialization . The United States and Japan reaffirmed their commitment to accelerating the global transition to zero-emissions energy and working with other fossil energy importers and producers to minimize methane emissions across the fossil energy value chain to the fullest extent practicable. Both countries also intend to support the establishment of green shipping corridors including a new grain corridor to support global efforts to decarbonize the international shipping sector.

Today we announce Japan joins as the first international collaborator of the U.S. Floating Offshore Wind Shot. Japan recognizes the ambition of the U.S. Floating Offshore Wind Shot, which aims to reduce the cost of floating offshore wind in deep waters by more than 70 percent and reach 15GW of U.S. domestic deployment by 2035. Through the partnership, the United States and Japan will collaborate to make progress towards global ambition in line with the U.S. Floating Offshore Wind Shot, taking into consideration national circumstances, to accelerate breakthroughs across engineering, manufacturing, and other innovation areas that dramatically reduce the cost of floating offshore wind in deep waters by 2035. The United States and Japan announced they would report publicly on progress each year through CEESI. To work towards global ambition, Japan will contribute with its efforts of “the Vision for Offshore Wind Industry” and approximately 120 billion yen through the Green Innovation Fund. The United States also welcomes Japan’s newly-launched industry platform, the Floating Offshore Wind Technology Research Association (FLOWRA), aiming to reduce costs and achieve mass production of floating offshore wind through collaboration with academia. The United States will continue its efforts under the Department of Energy’s Strategy to Advance Offshore Wind Energy to leverage more than $5.8 billion in cumulative public and private sector supply chain investments under the Biden-Harris Administration. We also intend to advance research and development for perovskite solar cell technology through the Green Innovation Fund and the Perovskite PV Accelerator for Commercializing Technologies (PACT) Center, led by Sandia National Laboratory.

Expanding Infrastructure to Support Clean Energy: Our two nations acknowledge the need to expand and modernize power grids and energy infrastructure to keep pace with our ambitious goals for renewable energy deployment. We plan to explore means to boost investment in our power grids and share best practices for grid modernization. We also look to expand the use of market-based power purchase agreements by companies and industries to assist access to clean energy, including from both large nuclear reactors and advanced and small modular reactors (A/SMRs), as they attempt to meet their own decarbonization goals and drive innovation in power intensive industries such as Artificial Intelligence, quantum computing, and data centers.

Partnering to Deploy Safe and Secure Nuclear Energy: The United States and Japan recognize the crucial role of civil nuclear power to meet our overarching climate goals, as affirmed in our participation in the COP28 pledge to triple globally installed nuclear energy by 2050. In pursuit of this vision, the United States applauds the Prime Minister’s plan to restart nuclear reactors to meet its 2030 decarbonization goals. Our two countries acknowledge the transformational opportunities presented through our continued cooperation on A/SMRs, and affirm our continued partnership on joint efforts both bilaterally and multilaterally to deploy A/SMRs this decade.

Our two countries plan to launch the Fukushima Daiichi Decommissioning partnership with Tokyo Electric Power Company and U.S. national laboratories to deepen research cooperation for the steady implementation of decommissioning the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, especially for fuel debris retrieval. Recognizing the important role of nuclear energy to both accelerate the energy transition and enhance energy security, the United States and Japan also resolve to promote public-private investment in enriched uranium production capacity free from Russian material.

Improving Methane Emissions Data: The United States and Japan are collaborating, including with other international partners, to share greenhouse gas emissions satellite observations data and make it freely available to the public, including providing greenhouse gas information to governments in low- and middle-income countries to support the development of climate mitigation policies. The United States and Japan intend to also leverage existing efforts, such as the International Methane Emissions Observatory, to develop and disseminate accurate, transparent methane emissions data to support methane reduction interventions globally.

Carbon Management: The United States and Japan reaffirm our commitment to the Carbon Management Challenge, Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) Initiative, and to the Mission Innovation CDR Launchpad in the pursuit of developing carbon management technologies to support achieving the Paris Agreement goals. Additionally, the United States commits to supporting collaboration with Japanese counterparts to evaluate the potential for cross-border carbon dioxide transport and storage hubs between Alaska and Japan. For example, the United States is pursuing carbon dioxide shipping feasibility studies and tools such as life cycle assessment and technoeconomic analysis that can aid in this goal. We welcome the progress of ongoing projects in carbon capture, utilization, and storage, as well as carbon recycling, between U.S. and Japanese companies. On e-methane, Japanese companies have signed Letters of Intent (LOIs) with U.S. companies to avoid CO 2 double counting.

Sustainable Aviation Fuel: The United States and Japan reaffirm our joint aim of decarbonizing the aviation industry, including the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. We recognize the importance of realizing the U.S. Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) Grand Challenge 2030 goal of three billion gallons of SAF that, compared to a petroleum-based jet fuel baseline, will provide a significant reduction in lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions, as well as Japan’s 2030 target of replacing 10% of the fuel consumed by Japanese airlines with SAF. To support achieving these goals, the United States pledges to seek to support the increase of globally available supplies of SAFs or feedstocks, including those that are ethanol-based, and commit to working in ICAO to identify solutions that accurately measure and actively reduce the carbon intensity of global SAF feedstocks and products. Simultaneously, Japan commits to advancing R&D efforts to develop and commercialize SAF technologies, including Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ), through support measures by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Collaborating on Hydrogen and its Derivatives, and Geothermal: We welcome the progress of collaboration between U.S. and Japanese companies on building hydrogen hubs, and shared expectations for further cooperation to build a large-scale and resilient global supply chains based on carbon intensity and to expand utilization of hydrogen. A Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) on Geothermal Energy was signed between DOE-METI at the G7 Ministers’ Meeting on Climate, Energy and Environment in Sapporo in April 2023. Through this MOC, the United States and Japan have been exploring next steps for collaboration.

Investing in U.S. Infrastructure : The U.S. Department of Transportation and Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism welcomed Amtrak’s leadership of the Texas Central High Speed Rail Project, utilizing Shinkansen technologies, which was recently selected for the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) Corridor Identification and Development grant program. The successful completion of development efforts and other requirements would position the project for potential future funding and financing opportunities.

Biotechnology, Biopharmaceutical, and Health-Related Cooperation

Tackling Cancer Together: In alignment with the Biden Cancer Moonshot to end cancer as we know it, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Japan’s Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) intend to collaborate and exchange information on oncology drug products. Specifically, under initiatives Project Nozomi and Project Orbis, FDA and PMDA intend to work to enable earlier access to cancer medication for patients and hold discussions on future drug development, including multiregional clinical trials and ways to prevent drug shortages.

Advancing Pharmaceutical Innovation: The United States and Japan welcome the Japan’s Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA)’s intent to establish an office in the Washington, D.C. metro area. This office provides opportunities to enhance PMDA’s cooperation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and facilitate information sharing with private industry.

Opening of CDC Regional Office: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) opened a Regional Office for East Asia and the Pacific in Tokyo in February. This new regional office provides support to 26 countries and territories in the region to strengthen core global health security capacities and collaboration to improve detection, rapid response to disease threats, and knowledge and information exchange.

Global Health Collaboration:   The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to discuss ways to advance shared global health priorities.

Expanding Biotechnology and Healthcare Cooperation : The United States and Japan welcome the launch of a new U.S.-Japan biotechnology and healthcare discussion, focused on promoting responsible development, protecting key technologies, and establishing reliable and secure supply chains. The exchange prioritizes efforts to advance industrial competitiveness, including joint events in close partnership with relevant U.S. and Japanese ministries and agencies, as well as academic and private sector partners. It also bolsters work to prioritize the safe, secure, and responsible development and use of emerging biotechnology through close policy coordination.

DIPLOMACY, DEVELOPMENT, AND HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE

As global leaders, the United States and Japan remain committed to ensuring a peaceful and stable Indo-Pacific region with a conviction that the security in Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions are interlinked. Beyond these regions, our two countries recognize the global challenges we jointly face and reaffirm commitments made at the G7 Hiroshima Summit in upholding the rule of law, which protects all nations, especially the vulnerable, and continued cooperation with partners beyond the G7. To that end, we intend to launch a new strategic dialogue to coordinate global diplomacy and development efforts and to be held at the Deputy Secretary of State/Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs level. Our two countries remain committed to supporting Ukraine’s right to self-defense and its long-term security and economic recovery. The United States has contributed $74.6 billion in humanitarian, development, military, and economic assistance to Ukraine, and Japan has been providing continuous support to Ukraine, a commitment of which adds up to $12.1 billion in total. We are also committed to addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Japan has provided approximately $107 million in support of the Palestinian people and the United States has contributed $180 million in humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza since October 7, 2023. Moreover, the United States and Japan underscore the importance and urgency of the situation in Haiti and reiterate our support to the mandate of the UN-authorized Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission to Haiti.

Investing in the Indo-Pacific :  The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) have renewed an MOU that enables greater collaboration in financing projects in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.

The United States and Japan acknowledge the importance of improving the Amata Kabua International Airport in the Republic of Marshall Island (RMI) in support of sustaining RMI’s economy.

Building on the U.S.-Australia joint funding commitment for subsea cables last October, the United States and Japan will collaborate with like-minded partners to build trusted and more resilient networks and intend to contribute funds to provide subsea cables in the Pacific region, including $16 million towards subsea cable systems for Tuvalu, which will connect it for the first time in history, as well as the Federated States of Micronesia. In addition, Taiwan also plans to provide funding to deliver connectivity to Tuvalu.

In southeast Asia, the United States has announced $5 million in new funding to the Japan-U.S.-Mekong Power Partnership (JUMPP), which puts the U.S. commitment to $35 million since JUMPP’s launch in 2019. The $5 million helps fulfill Vice President Harris’ announcement that she plans to work with U.S. Congress to harness up to $20 million in new JUMPP funding. The U.S. and Japan’s work in the Mekong region has supported over 100 technical cooperation projects to expand cross-border power trade and clean energy integration in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Strengthening the International Financial Architecture : The United States and Japan intend to continue our collaboration to strengthen the international financial architecture and support developing countries to promote our shared values. This includes advancing the MDB Evolution agenda, planned contributions that would enable more than $30 billion in new lending headroom at the World Bank to support low- and middle-income countries in addressing global challenges, securing ambitious International Development Association and Asian Development Fund replenishments, addressing debt vulnerabilities that are holding back low- and middle-income countries’ growth potential and ability to invest in critical areas like climate and development including through advancing debt treatment through the G20 Common Framework and enhancing debt transparency, and solidifying the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as a quota-based institution at the center of the global financial safety net.

Deepening our Commitment to Nuclear Disarmament and Non-proliferation and Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy: President Biden commended Japan’s safe, responsible, and science-based discharge of Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) treated water into the sea. The two leaders welcomed that the U.S. Department of Energy and Japan’s MEXT have removed all excess highly enriched uranium (HEU) from the Kyoto University Critical Assembly and Japan Atomic Energy Agency’s Japan Materials Testing Reactor Critical Assembly to the United States and a new joint commitment to convert the Kindai University Teaching and Research Reactor from HEU to low-enriched uranium fuel and to return its HEU to the United States. The United States also joined the Japan-led “Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty (FMCT) Friends” effort to demonstrate our shared commitment toward disarmament.

Combatting Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse : Recognizing the importance of partnerships to combat technology-facilitated gender-based violence, including the Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse, the United States and Japan concur to strengthen our work at the nexus of gender equality and digital technology. These efforts underscore our commitments to advance our shared values, including human rights and gender equality, and further Women, Peace, and Security goals in an increasingly technology-dependent world.

Countering Foreign Information Manipulation: The United States and Japan are committed to working together and last year committed to the joint U.S.-Japan Memorandum of Cooperation on Countering Foreign Information Manipulation. The United States and Japan recognize that foreign information manipulation poses a challenge to the Indo-Pacific region and beyond and warrants enhanced bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

Partnership to Combat Commercial Spyware: Japan has joined the Joint Statement on Efforts to Counter the Proliferation and Misuse of Commercial Spyware. The United States and Japan are committed to implementing domestic controls and building the international coalition to combat the misuse of such surveillance tools that pose a threat to our mutual national security interests and that enable human rights abuses.

Countering the Growing Threat of Transnational Repression: The United States and Japan are committed to reinforcing our partnership on countering transnational repression. To effectively address the rising concern of transnational repression globally it will take a coordinated multilateral response. 

Bolstering Whole-of-Society Resilience : The United States and Japan welcome the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience, Japan’s MEXT, and NVIDIA’s efforts on joint research and development on nation-scale resilience.

Building Resilient and Responsible Seafood Supply Chains: Our two countries pledge to work together, as part of the efforts under the Task Force on the Promotion of Human Rights and International Labor Standards in Supply Chains, led by the U.S. Trade Representative and METI, to explore ways to combat forced labor and advance responsible labor practices in seafood supply chains. We also intend to build resilient seafood supply chains through strengthened trade channels and increased business opportunities.

Strengthening Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture : To enhance existing food security efforts, the United States and Japan recently launched the U.S.-Japan Dialogue on Sustainable Agriculture, and we plan to continue joint research on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural production. Together, we intend to promote new technologies and climate-smart production practices to build sustainable and resilient agriculture and food systems able to feed a growing global population while conserving natural resources and mitigating climate change. As an example, the United States and Japan intend to be founding contributors to the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils seed and soil health research This research helps bolster diverse food production in developing partner countries.

PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE TIES

Our people-to-people ties serve as the bedrock of our Alliance. Civil society has been one of the driving factors of our close relationship over the past 170 years. Our two countries recognize the legacy of Ambassador Mansfield, the longest-serving U.S. Ambassador to Japan and his incredible contributions to the relationship through the Mansfield Center and Mansfield Foundation.

The success of the Alliance is due to the bonds between our peoples, and our two governments recognize the achievements of organizations and programs, such as Fulbright Japan, the JET Programme, the Japan Foundation, the KAKEHASHI Project, and the U.S.-Japan Council’s TOMODACHI Initiative, Asia Kakehashi Project +(Plus), and their contributions to the alliance. Our two countries celebrate the unique and historic role of the 38 Japan-America Societies located throughout the United States and 29 America-Japan Societies across Japan.

This year is the U.S.-Japan Tourism Year 2024, ahead of Japan hosting the 2025 World Expo in Osaka. For the first time since 1988, the United States approved federal funding to support the design, build, and operation of the U.S. Pavilion at the World Expo.

Our two countries remain steadfast in our commitment to foster close connections, and to promote close ties between current changemakers and future generations of leaders.

Boosting Educational Exchanges : The United States and Japan announce a new $12 million “Mineta Ambassadors Program (MAP)” education exchange endowment administered by the U.S.-Japan Council for U.S. and Japanese high school and university students who will “map” the future of the relationship, with support from Apple, the BlackRock Foundation, Toshizo Watanabe Foundation, and other founding donors. As a long-term investment in U.S.-Japan relations, the endowment plans to increase exchange opportunities in both directions. In this regard, we also welcome Japan’s new initiative to expand scholarship for Japanese students through the Japan Student Servicers Organization. We also recognize the importance of educational cooperation among high schools and universities between the two countries and enhance mid-to-long term educational exchange, including those seeking degree certificates or professional training and internship opportunities. The two governments also announce the restart of STEM scholarships in Japan via the Fulbright Program for the first time in 50 years, ensuring our flagship education exchange program supports our most important economic security priorities, and removal of the tuition cap for Japanese Fulbright participants.

Engaging the Next Generation of Leaders: President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida applaud the Japanese American National Museum’s new Toshizo Watanabe Democracy Fellowship to promote global democracy and strengthen U.S.-Japan ties. Beginning with an eight-person pilot program this summer, this new Fellowship is designed to provide opportunities for Japan’s future leaders to experience the United States, network with Japanese leaders and others who seek to strengthen democracy and the bilateral relationship and develop a cohort of up-and-coming professionals who have to promise to become advocates for stable and secure democracies in the years ahead.

We applaud the efforts of the U.S.-Japan Council’s exchange program of local high school students and leadership/professionals for Maui reconstruction. We also welcome Japan’s intention to broaden the scope of the invitation program for Japanese American leaders to raise their next generation.

Promoting Exchanges among Professionals: We welcomed the initiative of the Japan Foundation that is promoting exchanges among professionals and practitioners addressing common issues facing the Indo-Pacific region, such as climate change and disaster management, and we look forward to further development in the future. The two leaders also welcomed the establishment of the Mansfield Professor of Japanese and Indo-Pacific affairs.

Women, Peace and Security (WPS):  The Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Parliamentarians’ Network Japan hosted U.S. WPS Caucus Member Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove and Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Geeta Rao Gupta on April 3-4 for a legislative exchange to reaffirm our shared commitment to promote WPS globally.

Increasing Exchange Opportunities for Japanese Language Specialists in the United States:   The United States and Japan signed a memorandum of cooperation to expand exchange opportunities for Japanese language specialists to observe U.S. institutions and methods in the United States and share their specialized knowledge of Japanese language education with U.S. colleagues. We also emphasize the value of in-person learning for Japanese language in the U.S. and welcome efforts to expand the Japanese Language Education Assistant Program (J-LEAP).

Enhancing Cultural and Educational Interchange: The United States and Japan reaffirmed their confidence in the role of the U.S.-Japan Conference on Cultural and Educational Interchange (CULCON) in further enhancing people-to-people ties. The United States and Japan also welcomed the inaugural U.S.-Japan High Level Policy Dialogue on Education and instruct the respective departments and ministries to accelerate the preparation of the second dialogue to examine and follow up on the issues raised above. We also acknowledge the importance of cultural exchanges including through promoting creative and cultural content industries such as in music, movies, animation and manga.

Strengthening Tourism Ties:   To coincide with the U.S.-Japan Tourism Year, Airbnb has announced it will commit $1 million to an International Visitors Leadership Program to bring Japanese tourism professionals to the United States to study best practices on rural tourism and support local economies in each nation.

The United States also welcomes Japan’s intention to support the National Park Service as it begins a multi-year rehabilitation project around the Tidal Basin and West Potomac Park. Each year, millions of visitors from around the United States and indeed the world visit the National Mall for the Cherry Blossom Festival.  These cherry trees, first gifted by the people of Japan to the United States in 1912, are an enduring reminder of the close bonds of friendship between Americans and Japanese.

Expanding Global Entry Program : The United States welcomes Japan’s expected full membership this year in Customs and Border Protection’s Global Entry program, a Trusted Traveler Program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival at U.S. airports. Japan’s full inclusion in Global Entry provides opportunity to bolster our countries’ security while facilitating travel and commerce between our nations.

Strengthening the Resilience of Democracy : President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida welcomed the launch of the U.S.-Japan Strategic Dialogue of Democratic Resilience and reaffirmed their commitment through the second round of the Strategic Dialogue on March 8, 2024.

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Japan state visit details revealed - date, royals involved and Princess Kate's absence

King charles and queen camilla will host emperor naruhito and empress masako this month.

Buckingham Palace has released new details of the Japan state visit, which will take place later this month. 

King Charles and Queen Camilla will host Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan from 25 to 27 June at Buckingham Palace, at the request of the government. 

Prince William , and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh will also accompany the King and Queen during certain engagements. 

The state visit had originally been planned for 2020 but was postponed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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In a new statement, the Palace announced: "Their Majesties The Emperor and Empress of Japan will pay a State Visit to the United Kingdom as guests of His Majesty The King from Tuesday 25th to Thursday 27th June 2024. 

"Their Majesties The King and Queen will host the State Visit at Buckingham Palace." 

It has been confirmed that the Emperor and Empress of Japan will arrive at Stansted Airport on 22 June, three days prior to the state visit. 

Their Majesties will be greeted by His Excellency Mr Hajime Hayashi, Ambassador of Japan. The Viscount Brookeborough KG, Lord-in-Waiting, will greet Their Majesties on behalf of the King. 

Before the state visit begins, the Emperor will undertake a private schedule of engagements, including visits to Japan House and the Thames Barrier. 

On the first day of the official visit, the Prince of Wales - who has been taking care of Princess Kate and their three children amid the Princess' cancer treatment - will greet the Emperor and Empress of Japan, at their hotel. 

Prince William, 41, will travel with the couple to the Horse Guards Parade, where Their Majesties will receive a Ceremonial Welcome. 

The King and Queen will formally welcome the Emperor and Empress at the Royal Pavilion on Horse Guards Parade. Presentations will be made, the Guard of Honour will give a Royal Salute and the Japanese National Anthem will be played. 

The Emperor, accompanied by King Charles, will inspect the Guard of Honour, formed of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards with the Band of the Welsh Guards. Afterwards, the Emperor and Empress will join the King and Queen, and Prince William, in a carriage procession along The Mall to Buckingham Palace, where they will be met by a second Guard of Honour formed of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards. 

Following lunch at Buckingham Palace, the royals will view a special exhibition in the Picture Gallery of items from the Royal Collection relating to Japan before they visit Westminster Abbey, where the Emperor will lay a wreath at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior. 

In the evening, King Charles, accompanied by Queen Camilla and other members of the royal family, will give a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace. 

What else is on the itinerary?

Other visits on the itinerary include The Francis Crick Institute, the UK’s flagship biomedical research centre, the Young V&A and the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew. There will also be a banquet at the Guildhall given by the Lord Mayor and City of London Corporation. 

Aside from London, the Emperor will travel to Windsor to privately visit St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, to lay a wreath on the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II. On their final day in the UK, the Emperor and Empress will also visit Oxford for a private programme of engagements including a visit to the colleges where Their Majesties studied. 

Who is Emperor Naruhito?

Born on 23 February 1960, Emperor Naruhito is the current Emperor of Japan and the oldest child of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko. He became heir apparent to the Chrysanthemum Throne when he was 29 following the death of his grandfather, Emperor Shōwa. 

At the age of four, Naruhito was enrolled in an elite Japanese school, graduating in 1982 with a degree in history; the ruler credited his fascination with the subject to his discovery of an ancient roadway on palace grounds during his youth. He later studied at Oxford and went on to meet many members of European royal families. During a party for Spain's Infanta Elena in 1986, he met Masako Owada. 

Meet Empress Masako

Born as Masako Owada on 9 December 1963, Masako became the Empress of Japan due to her marriage to Emperor Naruhito, who ascended the throne in 2019. Masako was born to a senior diplomat and former president of the International Court of Justice and was mostly raised in Moscow and New York City. 

After her education, Masako started working at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, being one of only 28 of 800 applicants to pass the entrance exams. At a party for Spain's Infanta Elena in November 1986, she met Prince Naruhito before their marriage in 1993. Masako sadly suffered a miscarriage in 1999, before giving birth to daughter Aiko in 2001.

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Japan's emperor and empress to pay three-day state visit to U.K.

Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako will visit Britain at the end of June, spending three days as guests of King Charles III, Buckingham Palace confirmed Tuesday.

Emperor Naruhito, 64, will meet Charles and his wife Queen Camilla as well as the monarch's elder son and heir Prince William and other British royals in the first Japanese state visit to the U.K. in over two decades.

A palace spokesman said the program had been "slightly adapted" because of the upcoming general election on July 4, without going into exact details.

Visiting heads of state have typically held talks with the prime minister and opposition leader, or addressed lawmakers in parliament.

But parliament has been dissolved and there are no MPs, while the government — both ministers and civil servants — are in the preelection period, with restrictions on what they can do.

The packed schedule does include a Guard of Honor ceremony, a carriage procession at Buckingham Palace, visits to museums and to the Francis Crick Institute, a biomedical research center in London.

On June 25, a state banquet will be given by the king at Buckingham Palace in honor of the emperor and empress, with speeches made by the two male monarchs.

The emperor will also go to Windsor Castle west of London on the third day of the state visit to lay a wreath on the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II, whose state funeral he and the empress attended in September 2022 in their last visit to the U.K.

The imperial couple seldom go on state visits and are gradually making more trips after limiting them during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This will be the emperor's second official state visit since his accession to the throne in 2019, following a visit to Indonesia last year.

The late queen, who had been on the throne since 1952, had hosted two Japanese state visits during her reign: Emperor Hirohito in 1971 and his eldest son Emperor Akihito — Naruhito's father — in 1998.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday said the families shared an "intimate relationship."

"I am convinced that the visit will reconfirm the friendship and goodwill of both countries ... and I feel immense pleasure together with the people of Japan," he said in a statement.

State visits generally feature traditional ceremony and pomp as well as visits to industry and commerce leaders to cement cultural, diplomatic and economic relations.

So far, Charles, 75, has received two state visits, by the presidents of South Africa in 2022 and South Korea last year.

Notably absent this time will be William's wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales.

She is receiving chemotherapy treatment for cancer and was last seen at a public engagement in December last year.

Charles also announced that he had cancer, without specifying which type, in February this year, and has only recently resumed public engagements.

On June 28, the emperor and empress will visit Oxford, where they studied, for private engagements, before leaving the U.K.

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Japan's UK state visit to go ahead despite election

Emperor Naruhito’s state visit will go ahead as planned later this month

• Published 4 June 2024

The state visit to the UK by the emperor and empress of Japan will go ahead later this month, says Buckingham Palace.

There had been speculation it would be postponed because of the general election on 4 July.

The visit, from 25 to 27 June, will include traditional highlights such as a state banquet hosted by the King and a carriage parade along the Mall.

It will be the first state visit in modern times to take place during an election campaign.

King Charles will host the visit a week before the general election

State visits take place on the advice of the government, with the King hosting events as head of state.

Such diplomatic showcases usually involve senior politicians, prompting questions about whether it would be delayed to avoid overlapping with political campaigning, but Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako's visit is going ahead.

Buckingham Palace indicated the visit would be "adapted" because of the general election, but no specific changes have been revealed.

The state banquet is a centrepiece of such visits, with speeches and, in recent times, greetings from the King in the language of the visiting dignitaries.

The prime minister, foreign secretary and leader of the opposition usually attend - although the visit is now in the middle of the election campaign.

The state banquet is on 25 June and the BBC's head-to-head debate between Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer is on 26 June in Nottingham.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said the attendance of ministers at state visit events was not yet confirmed.

The last time there was a potential clash between an election and a state visit, in 2017, the visit by the Spanish king was rearranged.

This will be the first Japanese state visit to the UK since 1998, with a visit planned for 2020 cancelled because of the Covid pandemic.

Such state visits are a "soft power" mix of pageantry and international politics.

The Japanese royal couple, representing an important trade and defence partner, can expect the red-carpet treatment.

There will be a ceremonial welcome at Horse Guards Parade, with a guard of honour, and then a carriage procession along the Mall to Buckingham Palace.

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During their time in the UK, the Japanese royals will visit the Francis Crick Institute, a Young Victoria and Albert Museum exhibition about Japan and the world's largest collection of wild plant seeds at Kew Gardens.

There will be a visit to St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, to lay a wreath at the burial place of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Both Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako were students at University of Oxford and they will make visits to the colleges where they studied.

State visits usually include a ceremonial carriage procession along The Mall

While the Japanese state visit goes ahead, the general election has prompted other changes to the King’s diary, in case engagements were a “distraction” from the election.

That included postponing a trip to a project in Crewe which supported families in poverty, including providing food and shoes.

There have been questions about the timing of the King’s meeting with the incoming prime minister after the election.

The King would traditionally spend a week in Scotland, known as “Royal Week” or “Holyrood Week”, at the end of June and the beginning of July.

If this clashes with the result of the 4 July election, it could mean the King having to travel back to Buckingham Palace or else the newly elected prime minister going to Scotland.

When the new government is formed, the King will have a prominent part in the State Opening of Parliament on 17 July.

It will be his biggest constitutional role since his cancer diagnosis.

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King Charles to host Japan's Emperor Naruhito for UK state visit this month

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King Charles Will Host Japan for State Visit Despite Reduction in Outings with Prince William Taking on Key Role

The Prince of Wales as well as Prince Edward and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, are set to help host the couple's U.K. stay

Janine Henni is a Royals Staff Writer for PEOPLE Digital, covering modern monarchies and the world's most famous families. Like Queen Elizabeth, she loves horses and a great tiara moment.

Samir Hussein/WireImage

• Buckingham Palace announced that the state visit from Japan would be held from June 25 to June 27 after a recently announced reduction in royal outings prompted speculation if the event would happen
• Prince William will lead the royal welcome, a duty he previously conducted with his wife, Kate Middleton
• A state banquet, often complete with tiaras out of the royal vault, at Buckingham Palace will cap the first day of the stay

King Charles and Queen Camilla are preparing for hosting mode!

Buckingham Palace announced on June 4 (local time) that the Emperor and Empress of Japan will pay a state visit to the U.K. from June 25 to June 27. Emperor Naruhito, 64, and Empress Masako, 60, will be the guests of King Charles, 75, during the state visit to London, hosted by the monarch and his wife, 75.

The confirmation of dates for the incoming state visit, which was previously announced in late April as part of the King's return to public duties amid his cancer treatment, put an end to speculation if the event would go on as planned. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced on May 22 that a general election would be held on July 4. Buckingham Palace said the royals would postpone outings "which may appear to divert attention or distract from the election campaign," prompting King Charles and Prince William to cancel scheduled engagements .

Kyodo via AP Images

Members of the British royal family are constitutionally non-political and usually leave the public space during campaigns to keep the public’s attention on the election and the pivotal issues it presents. It emerged last week that the palace was awaiting guidance from the Foreign Office about the Japanese state visit.

The Emperor and Empress of Japan are due to arrive in England on June 22 and conduct a series of private engagements.

The state visit will officially begin when Prince William takes on a key role: welcoming the couple at their hotel on June 25. The Prince of Wales, 41, will greet the couple on behalf of his father and travel with them to Horse Guards Parade in London for their ceremonial welcome.

Prince William similarly led the royal welcome with his wife, Kate Middleton , in November 2023 for the state visit of the President of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, and his wife, First Lady Kim Keon Hee. Princess Kate, 42, has stayed out of the public eye for most of this year after announcing in March that she has cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy , and it's unclear if she will participate in the upcoming state visit. Although Kate usually helps host state visits, she was not included in the itinerary. (The Princess of Wales will not take the salute at the Trooping the Colour rehearsal on June 8, Kensington Palace confirmed, and her attendance at King Charles' birthday parade on June 15 remains unknown.)

King Charles and Queen Camilla will welcome Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako to Horse Guards Parade with military pageantry, and the two couples will travel by carriage along The Mall to Buckingham Palace with Prince William.

A lunch will be followed by viewing items from the Royal Collection relating to Japan in the palace's Picture Gallery. The Japanese royals will later move to Westminster Abbey, where the Emperor will lay a wreath at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior before he and his wife tour the ancient church.

That night, King Charles and Queen will reconvene with the Emperor and Empress of Japan for a state banquet at Buckingham Palace thrown in their honor. The diplomatic dinners call for a glamorous dress code, and royal women often slip on tiaras, meaning that Queen Camilla may pick a sparkling headpiece from the royal jewelry collection for the evening. Other members of the royal family are also expected to attend. 

Chris Jackson/Getty Images

The following day, Emperor Naruhito will pay a solo visit to the Francis Crick Institute, the nation's leading biomedical research center of that supports a partnership between the U.K. and Japan. Later on June 26, Prince Edward and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh will join the Emperor and Empress for a banquet at the Guildhall organized by the Lord Mayor and City of London Corporation. 

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are among the working royals who have continued with a full schedule amid King Charles and Princess Kate's reduced duties when their cancer diagnoses were announced.

On June 27, the Japanese royals will bid farewell to King Charles and Queen Camilla as the state visit comes to a close. However, they will continue their time in the U.K. with a visit the Young V&A museum, which is highlighting the exhibit "Japan: Myths to Manga." Emperor Naruhito will then privately visit St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle to lay a wreath at Queen Elizabeth 's grave in the King George VI Chapel. The emperor and his wife were among the 2,000 guests who attended the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth in September 2022.

WPA Pool/Getty

The Emperor will visit Temperate House at the Royal Botanic Gardens later that day before he and Empress Masako tour the colleges they studied at Oxford on June 28, the day of their departure.

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State visits are an important part of the British royal family’s diplomatic duties, organized to strengthen relationships with other nations around the world.

Since his accession to the throne in Sept. 2022, King Charles has hosted two state visits: for President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa in Nov. 2022 and President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea in Nov. 2023. King Charles and Queen Camilla have also visited Germany, France and Kenya on outward state visits.

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Marcos flies to US for meeting with Biden, Japan’s Kishida

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr.

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday headed to Washington, D.C. for the historic trilateral summit with United States President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. 

The President left Villamor Airbase in Pasay City after addressing his Cabinet Secretaries. 

Marcos will be in Washington from April 11 to 13. On top of the joint meeting with Kishida and Biden, Marcos will also meet with the US president in a one-on-one bilateral meeting. 

While the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) previously said that the meeting, the first ever of its kind between the three countries, is not targeted towards any country, the government has admitted that the recent disputes in the West Philippine Sea will be discussed. 

“The elevation of the Philippine-Japan-US partnership into this trilateral cooperation has the peace, stability, and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific at the forefront, which is the basis for this trilateral process,” DFA Acting Deputy Undersecretary Hans Mohaimin Siriban said in a Palace briefing. 

The trilateral meeting also comes a few days after the Philippines held joint naval drills with the US, Japan, and Australia in the West Philippine Sea.

All countries have condemned China’s consistent aggression in the disputed waters, which has only grown since Marcos assumed the presidency.

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