Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda held a meeting with H.E. Mr. Donald Tusk, Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland, on November 5 (Monday) for approximately 30 minutes from 11 a.m. (local time) during his visit to Laos to attend the ninth Summit of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). The overview of the meeting is as follows.

1. Bilateral relations
   
   (1) Prime Minister Noda said he was glad that bilateral relations between Japan and Poland had been developing in all fields centering on the economic area and that Japan would like to further develop the favorable bilateral relationship and continue cooperating on global issues.
   
   (2) Prime Minister Tusk quoted former President Lech Walesa as always saying that he wanted to make Poland another Japan and said Poland had not yet accomplished it completely but was evolving gradually.
   
   (3) Prime Minister Tusk invited Prime Minister Noda to visit Poland.
   
   (4) The two leaders also discussed the possibility of cooperating with each other in the field of energy, including nuclear power and coal.
   
   
2. Japan-EU relations
   
   (1) Prime Minister Noda stressed the importance of concluding an economic partnership agreement (EPA) between Japan and the European Union (EU), and requested the support of Poland for the early start of negotiations to that end. In response, Prime Minister Tusk expressed support for the early launch of negotiation for the Japan-EU EPA.
   
   (2) The two leaders also exchanged views regarding the European debt crisis and the EU's Eastern Partnership.
   
   
3. Japan-China Relations
   
   Prime Minister Noda explained Japan's position concerning relations with China, saying the relationship between the two countries was one of the most important bilateral relationships for Japan, that in the present situation involving the two countries, Japan had consistently acted calmly from the beginning and that, as a responsible nation in the Asia-Pacific region, it would continue contributing to regional peace and prosperity.
   
   
4. In addition, the two leaders discussed issues related to international arenas.