On Thursday, December 8, commencing at 6:30 p.m. for around 30 minutes, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda held a meeting with H.E. Mrs. Laura Chinchilla Miranda, President of the Republic of Costa Rica, who is on an official working visit to Japan. Following the talks, Prime Minister Noda invited President Chinchilla to a dinner. The summary of the meeting is as follows. (Attending on the Japanese side were: Mr. Hiroyuki Nagahama, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; Mr. Toshiyuki Kato, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs; Mr. Akihisa Nagashima, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister; among others. Attending on the Costa Rica side were: Mr. Jose Enrique Castillo, Minister of Foreign Relations and Worship, Mrs. Anabel Gonzalez, Minister of Foreign Trade; Mr. Alejandro Cruz Molina, Minister of Science and Technology; among others.

1. Bilateral relations

(1) Overview

A. Prime Minister Noda started the meeting by welcoming President Chinchilla's first visit to Japan, along with expressing his gratitude for the condolences received from Costa Rica following the Great East Japan Earthquake, as well as President Chinchilla's own appeal on Twitter calling for donations to the Red Cross to aid victims of the disaster. Prime Minister Noda emphasized that Japan and Costa Rica traditionally maintain amicable relations and that both countries place importance on the environment, peace and human rights, stating that he would like to facilitate a further deepening of these relations under President Chinchilla's administration.

B. In response, President Chinchilla expressed her appreciation for the invitation to visit Japan. She said she hoped that her visit would further strengthen Costa Rica's relations with Japan, with which it holds common values, and that she felt honored that Japan was the first country in Asia she had visited.

(2) Economic Cooperation

A. Prime Minister Noda said that Japan attached importance to the field of environment in the economic cooperation with Costa Rica, and that he expected such cooperation would contribute to the development of the country. He expressed his gratitude regarding the decision made by the Costa Rican Government in May of 2010, being the first country in the Central American region, to adopt Japanese ISDB-T standards for terrestrial digital TV, and noted that Japan had decided to dispatch an expert to support the smooth introduction of those standards in Costa Rica.

B. In response, President Chinchilla expressed her gratitude for the support of Japan in the field of environment which is prioritized by both countries, adding that she would like to enhance cooperation with Japan in the areas of renewable energy and biodiversity as well. She thanked Prime Minister Noda for the support from Japan in relation to the introduction of terrestrial digital broadcasting, and proposed cooperating with Japan to promote those standards in the Central American region.

(3) Economic Relations

A. Prime Minister Noda, referring to the high interest shown by President Chinchilla in the expansion of economic relations with the countries of the Asia-Pacific region, extended an invitation to a high-level official of the Costa Rican Government to participate in the Asia Latin-America High Level Meeting on Environment Business, which is to be held in Japan next year. President Chinchilla responded appreciating the invitation, and said that her country wishes to join APEC and paying attention to the TPP since the economic relationship with the Asia-Pacific region is important for Costa Rica. Furthermore, she expressed her interest in beginning EPA negotiations with Japan following Costa Rica's policy to promote FTAs with Asian countries.

B. In addition, President Chinchilla showed her concern about international crime, including drug trafficking, especially in the Latin American region.

2. Cooperation in the international community

The two leaders had an exchange of opinions on cooperation in the international area, including climate change and the reform of the United Nations Security Council. They affirmed that both countries would strengthen their cooperation to tackle global issues.

Following the meeting, both leaders held a press announcement from 7:05 p.m., where they explained the outcomes and content of their meeting. During the dinner after the press announcement, the two leaders had a frank exchange of ideas on issues such as renewable energy and the strengthening of economic relations. In a friendly atmosphere, the conversation also included topics such as space development and women's social advancement.