TOKYO – The foreign ministers of Japan and Brazil held their first strategic dialogue Monday to explore deeper cooperation on economic security and trade as Tokyo seeks to deepen ties with the strategically important, resource-rich South American nation.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and his visiting Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira, are expected to exchange views on ensuring a stable energy supply amid the conflict in the Middle East, as well as stable supplies of rare earth minerals, a Japanese government official said.
To boost economic ties, they are also expected to discuss prospects for negotiations toward an economic partnership agreement between Japan and the Mercosur South American customs union, of which Brazil is a member, according to the official.
Brazil is one of the leading members of the “Global South,” comprising emerging and developing nations, and is also part of the BRICS group together with China, India and Russia. Japan views Brazil as a strategic global partner that shares its values and principles.
The inaugural meeting of the annual strategic dialogue came as part of the five-year “Strategic and Global Partnership Action Plan” announced in March 2025, when Japan hosted Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as a state guest in Tokyo.