Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney held a summit on the 6th and agreed to establish a new economic security dialogue.
According to local media including Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Prime Minister Takaichi met with Prime Minister Carney in Tokyo that evening. The two leaders agreed to elevate bilateral relations from a "strategic partnership" to a "comprehensive strategic partnership."
The two leaders specifically agreed to establish an economic security dialogue for supply chain cooperation and to expand collaborative projects in the energy and resources sector. They also agreed to form a cybersecurity policy consultative body, enabling officials from both countries to regularly exchange information on increasingly sophisticated attacks from China, North Korea, and other actors, as well as countermeasures. Both sides also shared the intention to expand defense cooperation, including joint exercises between Japan's Self-Defense Forces and the Canadian military.
In her opening remarks at the meeting, Prime Minister Takaichi said, "Japan and Canada share fundamental values such as freedom, democracy, and the rule of law," adding, "In the current international situation, the importance of Japan-Canada relations has grown more than ever." Prime Minister Carney responded, "The world is now at a turning point," and "We will strengthen our partnership amid economic and security changes."
Prime Ministers Takaichi and Carney also signed a joint statement reflecting the outcomes of the meeting. This marks the first joint statement between the two countries' leaders in 21 years, since 2005.
