Takaichi, Macron Reaffirm Cooperation at Tokyo Summit Ahead of G7 Meeting in Evian this Summer

By Akihisa Ota and Hiromi Uechi / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers

16:19 JST, April 2, 2026

Wednesday’s summit between the leaders of Japan and France reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation. They also discussed the situation in the Middle East and their approaches toward the United States and China.

Since taking office, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has been working to build relationships with the leaders of the Group of Seven nations. She aims to maintain the international order based on the unity of the G7, which shares common values.

“Amid the increasingly severe international security environment, cooperation among like-minded countries, including France, the current G7 chair, has become even more important,” Takaichi said at the start of her meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.

In response, Macron referred to cooperation with Japan regarding support for Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East. He said he believed in the power of cooperation among like-minded nations.

This is Macron’s first visit to Japan specifically for bilateral diplomacy, rather than for international conferences, since he took office in 2017. While the initial purpose of his visit was to coordinate positions ahead of the G7 summit in Evian, eastern France, in June, the situation in the Middle East has rapidly emerged as key agenda item following the U.S. attack on Iran.

Both Japan and France have been pressured by U.S. President Donald Trump to dispatch naval vessels to the Strait of Hormuz, where an effective blockade continues. Takaichi, who visited the United States in March, sought to ease U.S. dissatisfaction through economic cooperation and projected a strong Japan-U.S. alliance.

“The prime minister, who maintains a good relationship with Trump, is expected to serve as a bridge to keep the United States on board,” a source close to Takaichi said.

France had just been criticized by Trump in a social media post on March 31 as “very unhelpful.” France, which wants to avoid further widening the rift with the United States, is considering measures such as escorting ships in the Strait of Hormuz. France led an online meeting of 35 countries, including Japan, on March 26. A senior official from the French presidency said that France would work with countries directly affected by the blockade to find a solution. It appears this issue was also discussed at the summit meeting.

Macron is the fifth G7 leader to visit Japan since Takaichi took office last year. Many leaders, including Macron, who visited China in December, have visited China around the time of their visits to Japan. With Japan-China relations cooling, Japan is on alert regarding the growing closeness between China and Europe.

On Wednesday, the two leaders finalized sector-specific documents, such as one on nuclear energy, in addition to the joint statement, signaling a comprehensive deepening of relations.

“We were able to demonstrate a mature relationship that is on a different level from Sino-French relations,” a senior official of Japan’s Foreign Ministry said.

France is also mindful of balancing between Japan and China. During the Wednesday talks, Macron said that economic security is at the core of the two countries’ strategy and stressed the importance of cooperation in securing critical minerals and other areas. His remark is seen as reflecting Japan’s current situation as it faces economic pressure from China. At the G7 summit, the leaders are scheduled to discuss issues such as correcting international trade imbalances, with China in mind. There was some talk of inviting China to the G7 summit, but China is not expected to be invited to the meeting.