Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof agreed to deepen security and economic cooperation between the two countries at a summit in Tokyo. The leaders announced that cooperation will be enhanced on the basis of a new action plan, emphasizing the importance of long-standing bilateral ties in the face of unprecedented global challenges.
Emphasizing that unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force cannot be accepted anywhere in the world, the two leaders underlined that the security of the Indo-Pacific region and Europe cannot be separated from each other. The summit was held as part of Dutch Prime Minister Schoof’s visit to Japan to visit the World Expo in western Japan. This year also marks the 425th anniversary of the start of diplomatic relations between Japan and the Netherlands. “Japan and the Netherlands are strategic partners with common values and principles,” Prime Minister Ishiba said during the meeting, expressing his hope for deepening cooperation in the areas of security, trade, economic security and culture. According to the Japanese government, Ishiba expressed appreciation for the Netherlands’ interest in the Indo-Pacific region, citing the visit of the Dutch warship HNLMS Tromp to Japan in June last year as an example. Regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine, the two leaders pledged to work together for a “just and lasting peace”. They also expressed serious concern about the deepening of military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang after North Korean troops joined the war.
