Prime Minister of Japan visits Paraguay and Brazil

In the first week of May, the Prime Minister of Japan, Mr. Kishida Fumio, visited Brazil and Paraguay, where the heads of state of both countries welcomed him. As a result of the visit, they signed various cooperation agreements. In the case of Brazil, the president of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, received the Prime Minister on the third of May. During the meeting, they discussed investments and cooperation in foreign trade, energy transition, sustainable agriculture and livestock, and recovery of degraded earth. The two leaders signed 38 memoranda of cooperation (MoUs), highlighting the alliance in agriculture and cybersecurity. They also expressed interest in strengthening the G20 and the United Nations, as well as addressing climate change. Both leaders emphasized the long history of friendship between Brazil and Japan. The visit included events in Sao Paulo, such as a business forum.

It is important to note that Brazil hosts the most important Japanese community outside Japan. In 2023, Brazil exported approximately 6.616 million dollars to Japan and imported 5.399 million dollars from Japan. Japan was the third destination of Brazilian exports in 2023.

In the case of Paraguay, one of the signed MoUs covers the areas of information and communication technologies, foreign trade organizations, peaceful space activities, and cooperation for improving the country’s road infrastructure. The Paraguayan authorities also talked with Japan Foreign Trade Organization (JETRO) on opening the Japanese market to Paraguayan beef. It is worth noting that the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) carries out important work in Paraguay. In 2023, Paraguay exported to Japan approximately 50 million dollars and imported approximately 268 million dollars. Japan ranked the sixth destination among Asian markets for Paraguayan products in 2023.

Fuente: The Secretary General of ALDI based onthe Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies of Paraguay and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Paraguay and the Government of Brazil