Japan-Laos Summit Meeting and Working Dinner (Summary)

January 21, 2025

[Provisional translation]

On January 21, commencing at 6:15 p.m. for approximately one hour, Mr. ISHIBA Shigeru, Prime Minister of Japan, held a summit meeting with H.E. Mr. Sonexay SIPHANDONE, Prime Minister of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, who paid an Official Working Visit to Japan. Following the meeting, the two leaders signed a Japan-Laos Joint Statement, witnessed the exchange of cooperation document and gave a joint press release. After that, commencing at 7:45 p.m. for approximately 70 minutes, a working dinner was held.

  1. Introduction
    Prime Minister Ishiba welcomed Prime Minister Sonexay's visit to Japan on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and expressed his hope for deepening mutual understanding through various commemorative events. Prime Minister Sonexay expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome during his visit and stated that he was pleased to see bilateral relations developing in a wide range of fields and that he hoped to take this 70th anniversary as an opportunity to further strengthen bilateral relations. The two leaders also concurred in elevating Japan-Laos relations to a "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership" in view of the progress of cooperation between the two countries over the years in various fields.

  2. The two leaders held an exchange of views for the further future development of bilateral relations under the new partnership.

    (1) Both leaders confirmed the establishment of Vice-Ministerial Level Dialogues in both foreign affairs and defense to deepen political dialogue.

    (2) Prime Minister Ishiba stated that Japan would implement cooperation in unleashing the potential of clean power supply capacity, rehabilitation of East-West Economic Corridor, improvement of education quality, disaster prevention and UXO clearance to contribute to Laos' fiscal stabilization and autonomous quality economic growth. In response, Prime Minister Sonexay expressed his deep appreciation for the past and future cooperation from Japan and the Japanese people.

    (3) Both leaders concurred in strengthening bonds between the younger generations of both countries through youth and regional exchanges. They also confirmed their cooperation for the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai.

    (4) Both leaders reaffirmed the importance of cooperation in the field of investment and tourism. Prime Minister Sonexay stated that the Lao side plans to extend the period of stay for visa exemption from 15 days to 30 days for Japanese ordinary passport holders.

    (5) The two leaders reaffirmed to work closely together on regional issues including the situations in the East and South China Seas, North Korea issues including nuclear and missile issues and the abductions issue, the situations in Myanmar, Ukraine and Middle East, and exchanged views on the importance of cooperation on international affairs.

  3. Document Signing and Exchange Ceremony, Joint Press Statement
    The two leaders signed a joint statement agreed to elevate bilateral relations to a "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership," and witnessed the exchange of the following bilateral cooperation document:
    - Exchange of Notes concerning the Project for the Improvement of Provincial Teacher Training Centers
    Following the document signing and exchange ceremony, the two leaders gave a joint press statement.

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