Japan-Sweden Summit Meeting (Summary)

On July 12, commencing at 2:40 p.m. (local time; 8:40 p.m. JST) for approximately 20 minutes, Mr. KISHIDA Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan, who was visiting Lithuania to attend the NATO Summit, held a meeting with H.E. Mr. Ulf Kristersson, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Sweden. The overview is as follows.

1. Prime Minister Kishida stated that under the current severe international security environment, the security of Europe and the Indo-Pacific is inseparable, and that he highly appreciated Sweden’s efforts, including holding the EU-Sweden Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum. He also stated that Japan supported Sweden’s decision to apply for NATO membership, and expressed his hope for its early realization as well as further strengthening of the security of Europe. In addition, Prime Minister Kishida mentioned that he would like to further strengthen cooperation with Sweden in responding to Russia's aggression against Ukraine and in maintaining and strengthening the free and open international order based on the rule of law.


2. Prime Minister Kishida also stated that he would like to strengthen cooperation not only in the bilateral context, but also through the EU, NATO and other fora. The two leaders concurred on further strengthening bilateral cooperation on security between Japan and Sweden.


3. The two leaders exchanged views on the response to Russia's aggression against Ukraine, regional affairs including China and North Korea, and concurred on continuing to coordinate in dealing with North Korea, including nuclear and missiles issues such as today's ICBM-class ballistic missile launch as well as the abductions issue, among others.