Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said Monday Japan will further strengthen relations with Brazil under the presidency of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who became the nation's leader at the start of this year.
During a meeting with his Brazilian counterpart Mauro Vieira in Brasilia, Hayashi criticized Sunday's riots committed by supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in the capital city, while expressing his support for the "democratically elected" new leader, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
Hayashi was quoted by the ministry as saying that the two countries' economic relations have "big potential," especially in the fields of food, energy and mineral resources, of which Brazil is a major producer.