PARIS - At the invitation of Itsunori Onodera, Defense Minister of Japan, Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister of Defence of the French Republic, paid a visit to Japan from July 28-29, 2014.
This visit is a continuation of the many high-level meetings between the two countries since the state visit of the President of the French Republic to Japan in June 2013, which was followed by the meeting between the foreign and defense ministers of the two countries in January 2014, and then the visit to France by Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, in May.
Issues of international security, cooperation and defence exchanges were major elements of each of these meetings, and Le Drian's visit illustrates once again the exceptional partnership to which the two countries have committed.
The two ministers discussed the major international issues of mutual interest, including the regional situation in Asia-Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa, as well as actions of operational cooperation that the two countries are considering in Africa and the Pacific.
Onodera presented the process recently conducted by the Japanese government and the Cabinet decision to review the national security legislation. Le Drian praised the determination and efforts of the Japanese government to contribute more actively to peace and international stability, which will increase the opportunities for cooperation between the two countries.
The two Ministers noted with satisfaction the progress of their relationship in the field of defense equipment, illustrated in particular by the participation of the Japanese defense industry to the Eurosatory exhibition in June, and the commitment to the conclusion of an agreement on cooperation in the field of equipment and defense technology. This agreement will allow for proper management of the transfer of defense equipment in the course of concrete projects of cooperation, including in the field of UAV systems, which were identified as topics of common interest by the Committee on Defense Equipment Cooperation between Japan and France, which was established in January 2014.
Given the progress made in recent years between the two countries in defense cooperation and exchanges, the two ministers also signed a declaration of intent on this subject. Progress on this bilateral cooperation was illustrated by the publication of a joint brochure on the human resources policies of the French and Japanese Ministries of Defence, is the result of an exemplary cooperation of the human resources of both departments.
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