Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Fumio Kishida pose for a photograph.

President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday underscored the strength of UAE-Japan relations during a meeting in Abu Dhabi. Their discussions took place at Qasr Al Watan following an official reception ceremony to mark the start of Prime Minister Kishida’s official visit to the UAE.

Sheikh Mohamed welcomed the Prime Minister of Japan, expressing his confidence that the visit would consolidate the robust and longstanding partnership between the two nations and support their shared vision for a sustainable and prosperous future. Sheikh Mohamed noted that bilateral relations with Japan date back to before the foundation of the UAE, and that last year the two sides celebrated the 50th anniversary of the official establishment of diplomatic ties.

Last year also saw the announcement of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the UAE and Japan, marking a significant development in bilateral relations. This agreement, His Highness remarked, was a milestone that heralded the start of the next 50 years of increasing collaboration, especially in the fields of the economy, trade, technology, energy, space, and education.

The two sides discussed a number of regional and international developments, with His Highness highlighting that the UAE and Japan share a common goal of supporting peace and stability through building bridges of cooperation and dialogue. He referenced both countries’ membership of the United Nations Security Council that works to enable further coordination to promote peace and the diplomatic resolution of conflicts worldwide.

Sheikh Mohamed confirmed that the UAE is looking forward to Japan’s active participation at the COP28 climate conference in Dubai later this year, noting Japan’s longstanding role in advancing climate action, including its hosting of COP3 and being associated with one of the most significant protocols to combat climate change: the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.

Prime Minister Kishida thanked His Highness for the warm welcome afforded to him and his delegation, and expressed his happiness to be visiting the UAE. He also conveyed to His Highness the greetings of His Majesty Naruhito, the Emperor of Japan.

The Prime Minister spoke of the deep, enduring bonds between the UAE and Japan and expressed his sincere wish to continue working with His Highness to further elevate these ties for the benefit of both nations and their people.

The Japanese Prime Minister wrote an entry in the VIP guestbook, expressing his hopes for further development in UAE-Japan relations in the future.

Following the meeting, a luncheon was held in honour of the visit of the Japanese Prime Minister and his accompanying delegation.

The meeting and the luncheon were attended by His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court; Sheikh Khaled Bin Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi; Lt. General Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior; Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan; Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Advisor for Special Affairs at the Ministry of Presidential Court; Ali Bin Hammad Al Shamsi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for National Security; Suhail Bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure; Dr. Sultan Bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology; Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy; Mariam Bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment; Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology; Dr. Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade; Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh, Minister of State; Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi, Minister of Investmen; Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Affairs Authority and member of Abu Dhabi Executive Council; and Jassim Mohammed Buataba Al Zaabi, Chairman of the Department of Finance and member of Abu Dhabi Executive Council.

Attending from the Japanese side were a number of senior officials, including Akio Isomata, Ambassador of Japan to the UAE.

WAM