Kishida Departs for France, Brazil, Paraguay; Prime Minister Scheduled to Discuss International Issues, AI with Heads of State, Organizations

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:06 JST, May 1, 2024

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida departed from Haneda Airport aboard a government aircraft on Wednesday morning, kicking off his state visits to France, Brazil and Paraguay.

In France, the first leg of the trip, Kishida will deliver a keynote speech on Thursday at a ministerial council meeting of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which is headquartered in Paris. He will also attend an event on generative artificial intelligence.

Before departing Japan, Kishida told reporters at the airport, “I’d like to make the case for Japan to spearhead efforts to build and strengthen a free, fair, rules-based international economic order.

“I’d also like to promote discussions on international issues, including generative AI,” he added.

In Brazil, Kishida is expected to meet with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to confirm the two counties’ cooperation on decarbonization. Brazil chairs the Group of Twenty this year. Kishida will also emphasize the importance of cooperation with the emerging and developing countries collectively known as the Global South. He is scheduled to return to Japan on Monday.