Japan, Brazil leaders to make mutual visits every 2 years

The move comes as Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is set to visit Japan as a state guest for four days from Monday.

A meeting between Lula and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is slated for Wednesday.

The action plan, to be adopted at the summit, is also likely to include the establishment of a strategic dialogue between the two nations' foreign ministers for discussions mainly on security cooperation, as Japan and Brazil aim to boost bilateral ties in not just the economy but also diplomacy and security, Japanese government sources said.

According to the Japanese Foreign Ministry, it will be the first time since March 1996 that Brazil's president makes a state visit to Japan.

This year marks the 130th anniversary since the two countries established diplomatic relations.

The Brazilian leader will be the first state guest to Japan since May 2019, when US President Donald Trump made a state visit during his first tenure.

Also, it will be the first time that the Ishiba administration, which was launched in October 2024, welcomes a state guest.

Lula's wife will accompany him during the Japan trip also as a state guest, and the couple are scheduled to hold a meeting with Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, and attend a banquet at the Imperial Palace.

Brazil is raising its profile as a key member of the Global South emerging countries, but the Lula administration is viewed as being left-wing and not having close ties with Japan's ally, the United States.

Tokyo hopes that stronger ties with Brasilia would keep the South American country from forming closer relations with China and Russia, fellow members of the BRICS framework of emerging nations.

The envisaged action plan is seen including specific measures Japan and Brazil would implement in the three main areas of politics and security, economy and investment, and climate change over the next five years.

The two sides hope to continue close communications by regularly holding in-person summit meetings.

The planned strategic dialogue between their foreign ministers is designed to foster stronger collaboration over issues such as U.N. Security Council reform, a common challenge.

Visits by the leaders of Japan and Brazil to each other's countries have been increasing in recent years.

Lula attended the Group of Seven major powers' summit in Hiroshima, western Japan, in May 2023 as an observer.

In May 2024, then Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited Brazil. Ishiba participated in the summit of the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies in Rio de Janeiro last November.

In the fields of economy and investment, and climate change, discussions between Ishiba and Lula at the upcoming summit are seen focusing on tackling illegal logging in the Amazon rainforest, one of the causes of global warming, as well as cooperation to promote decarbonization.

Japan and Brazil are expected to team up to develop biofuel using sugar cane, one of Brazil's key agricultural products.

They will also seek to work together for the success of the 30th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, or COP30, this November, which Brazil will chair.

[Copyright The Jiji Press,Ltd.]

Photo by Reuters