Japan’s Hayashi Denounces Riots in Brazil

Jiji Press

14:27 JST, January 10, 2023

BRASILIA (Jiji Press) — Visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi on Monday denounced violent riots in Brazil’s National Congress and other institutions Sunday.

“Threatening democracy with violence must not be accepted,” Hayashi said after meeting with Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira.

In the Brazilian capital, supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro who refuse to accept his defeat in last October’s presidential election stormed the country’s Congress, Supreme Court and presidential palace.

Hayashi told Vieira that Tokyo supports President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, elected democratically in Brazil, a mature democracy, and his administration, according to the Japanese official.

During the meeting with Vieira, Hayashi proposed that Japan strengthen its cooperation with Brazil in the area of environment, to which the Lula administration attaches importance.

Vieira said that the administration, launched Jan. 1, hopes to enhance the two countries’ friendly relations further. He also showed expectations for expansion of investments by Japanese companies.

The two ministers agreed to work even more closely including for U.N. Security Council reform after both countries have become nonpermanent members of the council.

Hayashi asked for early visits to Japan by Lula and Vieira, while Vieira called for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to visit the Latin American country.