RTE


 

Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida have agreed a joint statement on a roadmap to improving and strengthening ties between Ireland and Japan over the next number of years.

Mr Martin met Mr Kishida in Tokyo this morning, on the second day of his visit to Japan.

Addressing the media afterwards, Mr Kishida said he remembered visiting Ireland in 2017 as foreign Minister on the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Ireland and Japan.

He thanked the Taoiseach for his words of condolence following the death of former PM Shinzo Abe and said: "I am in strong shock and outrage that Mr Abe's life was taken away by such unreasonable violence in the middle of an election, the very foundation of democracy".

On the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Mr Kishida said: "Russia’s aggression is an outrageous act that shapes not only Europe but also the very foundation of the entire international community including Asia.

"The security of Europe and that on Indo Pacific region are inseparable and we can never accept unilateral change of the status quo by force in any part of the world".

 

Mr Martin extended an invitation to the Japanese Prime Minister to Ireland.

During a working lunch, the two leaders discussed security issues in the Indo-Pacific region.

They also discussed EU/UK relations and the Northern Ireland Protocol as well as increasing cooperation on two-way graduate workers' placements between Ireland and Japan.

The Taoiseach visited the site of the planned new Irish Embassy and state agencies offices in Tokyo.

Ireland House will be the location for the new Irish Embassy in Japan and will also include offices for Tourism Ireland, Bord Bia, Enterprise Ireland and the IDA.

The building will house a multi-use event and exhibition space as well as being a meeting place for the Irish community in Japan and a home for the Irish Ambassador to Japan.

Construction will begin in late August and is expected to be finished in 2024.

The project will cost €21.4 million, of which €7.7m was the site purchase cost, making it the single biggest overseas capital investment by an Irish government.