‘Extensive Economic Cooperation’: FM Lapid Meets with Japanese FM in Jerusalem

Jerusalem, 19 August, 2021 (TPS) -- Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Yair Lapid met on Wednesday in Jerusalem with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, who is on a tour of the region.

This is the first such trip by a Japanese foreign minister since Motegi’s predecessor, Taro Kono, visited in December 2017.

Motegi visited Egypt, and will also visit Jordan, Turkey, the Palestinian Authority, Iran and Qatar.

The tour’s objective is to consolidate Japan’s ties with the area strategically important for Tokyo as a major oil supplier.

Next year will mark the 70^th anniversary of Israel and Japan’s relations, and the “extensive economic cooperation between the countries is reflected in the dramatic increase in the number of Japanese companies in Israel,” the Foreign Ministry stated.

The two foreign ministers discussed the challenges posed by the CCOVID-19 pandemic in their respective countries, economic cooperation and the Japanese government’s important contribution to the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) Jericho Agro-Industrial Park (JAIP) project.

The Japanese International Cooperation Agency’s (JICA) development of JAIP in the Jordan Valley is “a key part of Japan’s policy of proactive contributions to Middle East peace.”

Motegi introduced Japan’s efforts to achieve a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)” and stated that this vision will “contribute to the development of the Middle East.”

“Our goal is to continue to strengthen Israel’s relations with Japan. We agreed on mutual support at international organizations and the promotion of commerce to bolster the Israeli economy,” stated Lapid.