Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida travelled to France on Wednesday for a visit that will also take in Brazil and Paraguay. Tokyo is seeking to boost ties with Paris and Latin America in areas of defence, climate and energy.
The six-day itinerary will see Kishida meet French President Emmanuel Macron as well as Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
In December Macron and Kishida adopted a “common roadmap” aimed at intensifying cooperation in defence and nuclear power while also agreeing to “coordinate closely in the face of international crises”.
The 21-page document expressed worry about China's growing assertiveness, especially in the South China Sea and to “oppose any action that … endangers regional stability and the international rule-based order”.
It also stressed the importance of the yearly meeting of South Pacific Defence Ministers (SPDMM), which was hosted last December by France in New Caledonia, and reiterated the joint support of Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression.
Security in the Pacific
France's military presence in the Pacific consists of seven vessels, nine aircraft and some 7,000 military personnel.
France, Japan and other regional powers such as Australia routinely stage joint naval exercises, while last year France and Japan held the first ever ground force exercises, in New Caledonia.
The “Brunet-Takamori” drills were named after Jules Brunet, the French military officer whose story inspired the 2003 Hollywood movie The Last Samurai, and Takamori Saigo, a Meiji Restoration-era Japanese warlord.
Yet, France is walking a fine line between China and Japan. During Macron's April 2023 trip to Beijing, his tone was markedly milder than that of other EU leaders.
After the NATO Vilnius meeting last June, France successfully opposed plans for the opening of a NATO-liaison office in Tokyo out of fear of antagonising Beijing.
In Paris, Kishida will meet with Macron and attend an OECD meeting to "lead the discussions on solutions to various economic and social issues", according to his office.
'Year of Latin America'
He will then cross the Atlantic to Brazil.
"This year, Brazil is chairing the G20 and Peru is chairing APEC. This is the year of Latin America, and it is the focus of the world's attention", the Japanese government spokesperson said.
"Japan would like to seize this opportunity to strengthen ties with Latin America."
During his meeting with Lula, Kishida is expected to sign a deal on bilateral cooperation in areas from climate change to decarbonisation and other environmental issues.
Kishida will also bring a delegation representing at least 40 companies eyeing greater Japanese investments in Brazil to bolster bilateral cooperation on green technologies.
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