Japan, Brazil Plan to Agree on Regular Leaders’ Visits; Ishiba and Lula Will Also Establish Dialogue between Foreign Ministers

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:34 JST, March 19, 2025

Japan and Brazil are in the final stages of coordination to reach an agreement on reciprocal biennial visits by their leaders during a meeting between Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Tokyo on Wednesday to strengthen bilateral ties between the two nations.

The leaders are also expected to agree to the establishment of a “strategic dialogue of foreign ministers” to discuss topics such as international challenges and security cooperation, elevating the bilateral relationship to new levels, Japanese government sources said.

Lula’s state visit, scheduled for next Monday through Thursday, will be the first time a foreign head of state has come to Japan as a state guest in about six years, following U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit in May 2019, during his previous term of office.

Japan and Brazil plan, during this meeting, to draw up an action plan outlining specific cooperation measures to be pursued by the two countries.

The action plan will likely focus on three primary sectors: politics and security; economics and investment; and climate change. Strengthened communication through the aforementioned reciprocal leader visits will be a key cooperation measure within the politics and security sector.

The planned foreign ministers’ strategic dialogue, to be held at least annually, will include discussion of cooperative action in areas such as UN Security Council reform, global governance and climate change.

Ideas for a framework for working-level dialogue between foreign and defense authorities will also be planned. They plan this framework to discuss regional affairs in areas such as East Asia, Ukraine, the Middle East and Central and South America and to come to a shared understanding of them.

Brazil is also expected to provide Japan with know-how on U.N. peacekeeping operations, which the country actively takes part in, and to promote cooperation between Japan and IBSA, a framework consisting of Brazil, India and South Africa.

Brazil is a leading nation in the Global South, which includes many emerging and developing countries, and a member of the BRICS group along with Russia, China and India.

The Japanese government seeks to strengthen its connection with Brazil to prevent that country from aligning itself with China. For this reason, the decision was made on Tuesday to award the Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum to Lula.