[Provisional Translation]

From 1:25 P.M. on Sunday, June 16, and lasting for approximately 70 minutes, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met in Warsaw for the first-ever summit with his counterparts from the Visegrad Group (V4)--Mr. Donald Tusk, Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland (the holder of the V4 Presidency), Dr. Petr Nečas, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Dr. Orbán Viktor, Prime Minister of the Republic of Hungary, and Mr. Robert Fico, Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic. After the meeting, the leaders issued a Joint Statement (PDF) to wrap up their discussions.

An outline of the meeting is as follows:

1. Opening Remarks
   
   Prime Minister Abe expressed his pleasure in taking part for the first time in a meeting of leaders of the five countries, which share fundamental values such as democracy, freedom and the rule of law, on the 10th anniversary of the V4 plus Japan cooperation. He also said Japan hopes to promote cooperation with the V4, which is driving growth in the whole of Europe. The V4 prime ministers expressed their wish to continue to strengthen the V4 plus Japan framework.
   
   
2. Partners United by Bonds of Universal Values
   
   (1) Prime Minister Abe and the V4 prime ministers reaffirmed the importance of universal values and principles such as democracy and the rule of law and, on the basis of this recognition, agreed to work together in order to ensure greater regional stability based on democracy, economic integration and convergence of European Union (EU) policies in Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans.
   
   (2) The V4 prime ministers highly evaluated Japan's contribution to the promotion of democracy and a market-based economy through its official development assistance. Prime Minister Abe proposed holding an ODA seminar and appointing aid coordinators at the Japanese Embassies in the four countries in order to facilitate assistance in a collaborative manner. The V4 prime ministers welcomed the proposals and expressed their readiness to work with Japan in this area.
   
   (3) Prime Minister Abe expressed Japan's intention to send a high-level representative to the Eastern Partnership (EaP) Summit scheduled to be held in November. The V4 prime ministers welcomed Japan's active diplomacy.
   
   
3. Security
   
   (1) Prime Minister Abe and the V4 prime ministers reaffirmed the interconnection between East Asia and Europe in the field of security and the basic stance of maintaining maritime order on the basis of international law, including the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea. In view of the security environment in East Asia, they also acknowledged the importance of maintaining effective export controls of arms, dual-use items and related technologies in the region.
   
   (2) The V4 prime ministers welcomed progress in cooperation between Japan and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as part of Japan's global diplomacy.
   
   (3) Prime Minister Abe and the V4 prime ministers agreed to urge North Korea to fully abide by resolutions related to its nuclear and missile development programs. Prime Minister Abe expressed his determination to bring about an early solution to the issue of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea, and the V4 leaders said they support Japan's efforts over the issue.
   
   (4) Prime Minister Abe and the V4 prime ministers agreed to move forward cooperation between Japan and the V4 in the security field and hold a seminar on security in the near future.
   
   
4. Economic Relations
   
   (1) The V4 prime ministers expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Abe for a number of Japanese companies doing business in their countries and creating jobs. Prime Minister Abe pointed out the potential of further expansion in economic relations between Japan and the V4.
   
   (2) Prime Minister Abe and the V4 prime ministers reaffirmed that they will cooperate for the early success of ongoing negotiations between Japan and the EU on concluding an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). They welcomed the planned workshop in Slovakia in July on advanced materials that use technologies such as nanotechnology.
   
   (3) The V4 leaders expressed an interest in sophisticated Japanese technologies for energy, and the two sides agreed to explore how they can work together.
   
   (4) The V4 maintains relatively high economic growth among EU countries. Prime Minister Abe and the V4 prime ministers agreed to promote cooperation between Japan, which is pushing ahead with "Abenomics," and the V4 in order to boost economic growth on both sides. Prime Minister Abe briefed the V4 prime ministers on policy measures being taken under Abenomics as well as the forthcoming Group of Eight (G8) Summit. He said that at the G8 Summit, Japan hopes to work together with Britain, which holds the G8 Presidency this year, to find the best way to help the sustainable and stable development of the global economy and to combat tax evasion.
   
   
5. 2014: Year of Exchange for V4 plus Japan
   
   (1) Prime Minister Abe and the V4 prime ministers agreed to designate 2014 as the year of exchange for the V4 plus Japan and appoint goodwill ambassadors to further promote exchanges. Prime Minister Abe unveiled plans to appoint actress and pianist Ms. Nao Matsushita as Japan's goodwill ambassador, noting that classical music from the V4 countries, notably the works of Frederic Chopin, continues to captivate the world.
   
   (2) The V4 prime ministers praised Prime Minister Abe's "Cool Japan" strategy.
   
   
6. Future Plans
   
   Prime Minister Abe and the V4 prime ministers agreed to make arrangements to hold V4 plus Japan Foreign Ministers' Meeting on the sidelines of the Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in November, in order to follow up on the individual topics included in the V4 plus Japan Joint Statement "Partnership based on common values for the 21st century." In addition, Prime Minister Abe invited Prime Minister Orbán of Hungary, the holder of the next V4 Presidency, to visit Japan.