On Wednesday, December 14, commencing shortly after 10:00 a.m. for around 20 minutes, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda held a telephone conversation with the Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, on the latter's initiative. An outline of the conversation is as follows.

1. Prime Minister Harper brought up the topic of the Joint Study on the possibility of a Japan-Canada Economic Partnership Agreement, and in response, Prime Minister Noda stated that he would like to hold the next joint study meeting next month and complete the report on the joint study, then make effort to start a negotiation. Prime Minister Harper welcomed his statement.
   
   
2. In addition, the two sides exchanged views on the announcements made by both countries to enter into consultations toward participating in the TPP negotiations with the countries concerned.
   
   
3. Furthermore, regarding Japan's review of overall measures against Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), Prime Minister Harper appreciated that Japan started its preparation for requesting the Food Safety Commission to conduct risk assessment on the possible relaxation of import restrictions on Canadian beef.
   
   
4. The two sides also exchanged views on Europe's economic issues.
   
   
5. The Prime Ministers agreed to promote further Japan-Canada security cooperation, including through discussions regarding a Japan-Canada Acquisition and Cross-servicing Agreement (ACSA).