Japan PM, Dutch PM Talk Defense, Economic Security Cooperation; Cooperation in Semiconductor Industry Pushed for by 2 Leaders

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:32 JST, April 22, 2025

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof announced a plan for practical measures regarding defense and economic security cooperation at a joint press conference after their meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office on Monday.

The plan is the first between the two countries.

The leaders agreed the issues of security surrounding Europe, the Atlantic Ocean and the Indo-Pacific region are inseparable.

Ishiba and Schoof also agreed on realizing a “fair and permanent peace” in Ukraine and expressed their concerns about the military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.

Schoof stressed the importance of diversifying supply chains and urged for cooperation in the semiconductor industry, an industry in which both Japan and the Netherlands have an advantage.

The remarks seem to reflect the leaders’ concerns about the impacts of tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.