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On November 29, 2019, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe received a courtesy call from the Japan-France Club at the Prime Minister's Office.
 
The Prime Minister said in his address,
 
“I would like to welcome those members of the Japan-France Club who are visiting Japan. The Japan-France Club is an important bridge for the special partnership between our two countries.
 
On the occasion of this meeting in Japan of the Japan-France Club, I would like to express my respect for all of the Club’s members, including the Japan-France Club Co-chairs Mr. Masahiko Uotani, President and Group CEO of Shiseido Co., Ltd, and Mr. Jacques Aschenbroich, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Valeo. Japan and France have a special partnership sharing fundamental values such as freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.
 
This year, assuming the Presidencies of the G20 (Summit on Financial Markets and the World Economy) and the G7 respectively, Japan and France took the lead together in efforts to deal with the various issues facing the world, and collaborated closely for the peace and prosperity of the world.
 
Just prior to the G20 Osaka Summit, President Macron paid an official visit to Japan. During his visit, we held a meeting in Tokyo and issued the Roadmap on Japan-France Cooperation for Opening New Horizons between Japan and France over the next five years.
 
With this Roadmap as a guidepost, I intend to further develop various economic partnerships between our two countries, including in the innovation and digital sectors. At the same time, our cooperation in the fields of security and defense equipment is also being advanced. Furthermore, as Japan and France are both Pacific nations, I also hope to deepen our cooperation on the issues related to the ocean.
 
The Japan-European Union (EU) Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) that came into effect in February is firmly strengthening our economic and trade relations. Based on our discussions this time, I hope that the Japan-France Club will continue to exert efforts, including the promotion of artificial intelligence and other technologies, and contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which were mentioned a moment ago, towards a bright future for Japan-France economic relations.
 
As Co-Chair Aschenbroich pointed out just now, we reconfirmed that Japanese and French companies, and Japan and France too, share many points in common. For instance, both our countries share the sensibility that elevates our cuisine from mere food to art. Meanwhile, today I renew my understanding that we also share a common belief that companies are not mere entities that pursue profit but that pursue various goals which also appear in the SDGs and bear a great responsibility to our local communities.
 
I have high hopes that, building upon these common points, the Japan-France Club will play a large role in the further development of bilateral relations and will work together on the various issues faced by the international community.”