Japan And France Are Considering Holding Ministerial Talks On Security Issues In Paris Early Next Month, In Particular To Discuss Signing A Bilateral Pact On Military Logistics Cooperation, According To A High-ranking Source In Tokyo.
During The "two-plus-two" Talks, The Japanese And French Foreign And Defense Ministers Are Also Expected To Discuss Terrorism And The North Korean Nuclear Threat, While Exchanging Views On The Foreign Policies Of The Incoming Trump Administration In The United States.
At The Previous Talks In Tokyo In March Last Year, Japan And France Signed A Deal On Joint Development Of Defense Equipment And Agreed To Start Talks On An Acquisition And Cross-servicing Agreement (acsa) That Would Allow The Self-defense Forces And The French Military To Provide Each Other With Supplies And Services.
Defense Minister Tomomi Inada And Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida Will Represent Japan, While France Will Be Represented By Foreign Minister Jean-marc Ayrault And Defense Minister Jean-yves Le Drian.
The Japanese Are Also Likely To Inform Their French Counterparts That Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Agreed With Russian President Vladimir Putin At Their Recent Summit In Japan On The Need To Resume A Two-plus-two Dialogue Between Tokyo And Moscow.
No Such Meeting Has Been Held Since The Inaugural One In November 2013 In The Wake Of Moscow's March 2014 Annexation Of Ukraine's Crimea Region. That Spurred A Deterioration In Russian Ties With Western Powers And Japan.
During Her Trip To Paris, Inada Is Also Considering Holding Separate Talks With Le Drian And May Pay A Courtesy Visit To French President Francois Hollande, The Source Said.
Inada May Also Travel To Belgium To Meet With Nato Secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg At The Alliance's Headquarters In Brussels, The Source Added.