Japan-Kazakhstan Summit Meeting and Dinner hosted by Prime Minister TAKAICHI (Summary)

On December 18, Ms. TAKAICHI Sanae, Prime Minister of Japan, held a Summit Meeting with H.E. Mr. Kassym-Jomart TOKAYEV, President of the republic of Kazakhstan, who is paying a visit to Japan to attend the Summit of "Central Asia plus Japan" Dialogue (CA+JAD). After the Summit Meeting, the two leaders signed the “Joint Statement between the Republic of Kazakhstan and Japan on Further Synergy of the Future-Oriented Expanded Strategic Partnership.” In addition, on the occasion of the visit President Tokayev to Japan, public and private cooperation documents and projects were prepared. The overview of the Summit Meeting is as follows:

1. Introduction
(1) Prime Minister TAKAICHI welcomed President Tokaev’s first visit to Japan as President and stated that she would like to closely work together to further develop mutually beneficial relations with Kazakhstan, a strategic partner in maintaining and strengthening a free and open international order based on the rule of law.
(2) In response, President Tokaev expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome he received during his visit to Japan and his desire to further strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries.

2. Bilateral Relations
(1) Prime Minister TAKAICHI welcomed the preparation of inter-ministerial and other documents in the field of environment, agriculture, science and higher education, law and justice, ICT, trade facilitation and others on the occasion of the visit of President Tokayev to Japan. She stated that Japan wishes to deepen bilateral relations based on these new foundations and to advance cooperation in energy transition, critical minerals and other resources, and transportation and logistics for the further development of bilateral ties. Prime Minister TAKAICHI highlighted the efforts of Japan to maximize collective impact of development by using Official Development Assistance (ODA) more strategically as a catalyst to involve various public and private actors. In this context, Prime Minister TAKAICHI stated that Japan decided to provide large X-ray equipment to port customs in order to support the improvement of connectivity within the region, and from Central Asia to the world through the optimization of “Trans-Caspian International Tranport Route”.
(2) In response, President Tokaev expressed his desire to deepen the bilateral relation between Japan and Kazakhstan and regional cooperation utilizing the framework of CA+JAD.
(3) The two leaders concurred to work together to further develop cooperation between the two countries across a wide range of fields, including politics, economics, and culture.
(4) The two leaders welcomed the launch of direct flights between the two countries as early as in 2026, and concurred on the commencement of discussions toward concluding an air service agreement.
(5) Prime Minister TAKAICHI welcomed Kazakhstan’s consideration to participate in the GREEN×EXPO 2027.

3. Regional and International Situation, and Cooperation in the international arena
(1) The two leaders exchanged views on the situation surrounding Ukraine, as well as on the international situation including the East Asia such as their policies toward North Korea, including on the nuclear and missile issues as well as the abductions issue, and concurred that they would continue to cooperate.
(2) The two leaders affirmed the importance of international law and the principles of the United Nations Charter and confirmed that they will work closely together in the international arena, including the UN Security Council reform.