Prime Minister Kishida’s Attendance at the Japan-Brazil Business Forum (Summary)

On May 4, commencing at 5:45 p.m. (local time; 5:45 a.m. on May 5, JST) for approximately 30 minutes, Mr. KISHIDA Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan, during his visit to Sao Paulo, Brazil, attended the “Japan-Brazil Business Forum” organized by Japanese and Brazilian business organizations. The overview is as follows.

The forum was also attended by H.E. Mr. Geraldo Alckmin, Vice President and Minister of Development, Industry, Trade and Services of the Federative Republic of Brazil and other members of the government in addition to Japanese and Brazilian business representatives. Mr. Ishiguro Norihiko, Chairman of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Mr. Yasunaga Tatsuo, Vice Chair of the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren), Mr. Josue Gomes da Silva, President of the Federation of Industries of the State of Sao Paulo (FIESP) and Vice President of the Confederation of National Industries (CNI), Ms. Ana Paula Repezza, Business Director of the Brazilian Export Promotion Agency made remarks in the Forum. This was followed by a ceremony to announce the MOUs signed and a photo session.

1. Prime Minister Kishida made opening remarks, stating that, under the “Japan-Brazil Green Partnership Initiative (GPI),” the public and private sectors of Japan and Brazil will work together to strengthen cooperation between the two countries as Brazil has abundant food, energy, and mineral resources and there is tremendous potential for bilateral cooperation in the economic field. He furthermore stated that Japan is willing to reinforce trade and investment relations further in various fields including the digital and green sectors, and that it will also enhance its support for Japanese start-ups in Brazil. Prime Minister Kishida also presented an outcome of the Japan-Brazil summit meeting, where he and President Lula had concurred on the launch of a new international framework, the ISFM, aiming at achieving carbon neutrality by combining Brazil's high potential in biofuels and e-fuels with Japan's high-performance mobility equipment such as hybrid engines.

2. Following Prime Minister Kishida’s remarks, Vice President Alckmin mentioned the long history between Japan and Brazil and the importance of Nikkei people (Japanese immigrants and descendants) and expressed his expectations for further investment from Japan, stressing the importance of the people-to-people exchanges.