February 2020

Japan-Poland Summit Meeting

On January 21, 2020, Mr. Abe Shinzo, Prime Minister of Japan, held a summit meeting with H.E. Mr. Mateusz Morawiecki, Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland, who was paying an official working visit to Japan.

As opening remarks, Prime Minister Abe welcomed Prime Minister Morawiecki’s first visit to Japan, stating, “On the occasion of last year’s 100th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Poland, many high level visits realized, including the visit to Poland by Their Imperial Highnesses Crown Prince and Crown Princess Akishino, and various cultural programs were held, and they have significantly deepened the friendship between the two countries; today, I look forward to holding meaningful discussions so that we, as strategic partners, can elevate our bilateral relationship to the next level.”

In response, Prime Minister Morawiecki stated: “Thank you for your invitation. I vividly remember the visit by Their Imperial Highnesses Crown Prince and Crown Princess Akishino, and I was honored to have an audience with Their Imperial Highnesses today. I am very pleased that the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Japan-Poland diplomatic relations has led to the deepening of our bilateral relations. I will work to further vitalize our bilateral exchanges in political, economic, and cultural fields.”

Prime Minister Abe welcomed that the bilateral cooperation has made progress in various areas, in line with the Action Plan for the Implementation of the Strategic Partnership for the years 2017–2020. Prime Minister Abe expressed the view that Japan would like to deepen its cooperation with Poland, a country enjoying solid economic growth and gaining increasing importance in the European Union (EU), and that he intends to promote Japan-U.S.-European coordination and “V4+Japan” cooperation. Furthermore, Prime Minister Abe expressed an intention to begin working on drafting Action Plan based on the outcomes of Prime Minister Morawiecki’s visit. Prime Minister Abe also stated, “Japan hopes to expand security dialogues with Poland, which is fulfilling an important role in European security.”

In response, Prime Minister Morawiecki stated: “The strategic partnership between Japan and Poland is critical, and our relations have deepened in a variety of areas. The two countries share the view on many issues, such as the importance of free trade. Poland is in close relation with Europe, the United States, and Japan, and intends to work with Japan to resolve various issues. Poland also attaches importance to strengthening political relations with Japan. The V4 is increasing its importance, and I intend to work to strengthen the V4-Japan cooperation.”

The two leaders exchanged views regarding the situations in East Asia and Europe, and shared the view that Japan and Poland, as strategic partners, will coordinate with each other toward maintaining and strengthening an international order based on the rule of law. Regarding North Korean issue, the two leaders shared the view on continuing to work closely toward the complete denuclearization of North Korea, including full implementation of United Nations Security Council resolutions. In addition, Prime Minister Abe asked for Prime Minister Morawiecki’s understanding and cooperation for the early resolution of the abductions issue, a top priority for Japan, and obtained the Prime Minister’s support.

The two leaders also exchanged views regarding the Brexit, and shared the view that it is important for both the EU and Japan to build close relations with the United Kingdom after its withdrawal from the EU.

Note: V4 (Visegrad Group)
A sub regional cooperation framework consisting of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. The group was founded in Visegrad in Hungary in 1991.