President Lula meets with Japan's Prime Minister this Friday (3)

Under invitation by the President of the Republic, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Japan's Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, comes to Brazil on an official visit this Friday (3) and Saturday (4), accompanied by 35 business leaders.

Japan has had a historical role in Brazil's economic development, playing a significant part in agriculture and in industries such as steel, automotive and cellulose. It’s an important foreign investor in Brazil. I think this visit will present opportunities to increase Japanese investment, particularly in projects connected to neo-industrialization and the new PAC [Brazil's New Growth Acceleration Program]"
Eduardo Paes Saboia, Secretary for Asia and the Pacific of the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

On May 3rd, at 9:30 am in Brasília, President Lula will greet Japan's Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, at the top of the ceremonial ramp at Planalto Palace. From there, the two leaders will go on to a bilateral meeting. Later they will participate in an agreement-signing ceremony, followed by a press statement, scheduled for 11:40 a.m. at the East Hall.

During the meeting, Lula and Kishida will discuss topics of bilateral interest, such as increasing trade in beef, investment cooperation on environmental initiatives, and the partnership for energy transition. In addition, since Brazil currently holds the G20 Presidency, the agenda will include the fight against global hunger and poverty.

Lula and Kishida will also discuss cooperation in multilateral forums to promote peace, democracy, and international governance reform, including the United Nations (UN), in addition to topics related to peace, security, and disarmament.

"Japan has had a historical role in Brazil's economic development, playing a significant part in agriculture and in industries such as steel, automotive and cellulose. It’s an important foreign investor in Brazil. I think this visit will present opportunities to increase Japanese investment, particularly in projects connected to neo-industrialization and the new PAC [Brazil's New Growth Acceleration Program]", explained Ambassador Eduardo Paes Saboia, Secretary for Asia and the Pacific of the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE), during a Thursday (2) press briefing.

BEEF AND POULTRY MARKET - According to the Ambassador, Brazil is a major exporter of iron, poultry, coffee, aluminum, and corn. Imports from Japan include manufactured products, especially auto parts, chemicals, measurement instruments and integrated circuits. The Japanese Prime Minister’s visit is expected to strengthen Brazil’s global partnership with Japan and increase the bilateral trade flow, currently estimated at USD 11 billion.

"President Lula will mention our intention of diversifying trade exchanges, and I believe the main goal is gaining access to the Japanese market for our beef, which only Santa Catarina is currently authorized [to export to Japan]. Japan imports 70% of the beef it consumes; 80% of it comes from Australia and the United States. Brazil, which can provide a high-quality product safely and reliably, also wants to be part of this market," detailed Saboia.

Following the press statement, the heads of the Brazilian and Japanese governments will go to lunch at Itamaraty Palace. Later that day, Fumio Kishida will travel to Paraguay. Upon his return to Brazil on Saturday (4), the Japanese Prime Minister will focus on activities with the Japanese-Brazilian community in São Paulo. Kishida will visit the Japanese Pavillion, a site honoring the Japanese presence in Brazil, built in collaboration with the Japanese government.

Inspired by Kyoto’s Katsura Palace, the Japanese Pavillion consists of a main building, a grand hall, a tea hall, exhibition areas, and a koi pond. Projected by professor and architect Sutemi Horiguchi (1895-1984), the structure was built using Japanese materials, such as volcanic rock, wood, and even mud from Kyoto. Traditional Japanese construction techniques in the Shoin style were used that were typical of the residences of the Samurai and wealthy families.

After the Pavillion visit, the Prime Minister will have lunch with representatives of the Japanese-Brazilian community. Later he will join Vice President and Minister of Development, Industry, Trade, and Services (MDIC), Geraldo Alckmin, at the Brazil-Japan Business Forum. Organized by trade organizations, with support from Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), the event will convene private sector leaders from both countries.

FOREIGN RELATIONS - Brazil has the largest Japanese-descended population outside Japan, estimated at over 2 million people. In addition, Japan is home to the 5th largest Brazilian community abroad, with around 211,000 people. The two countries maintain a Strategic and Global Partnership that will be a decade old in August.

2025 marks the 130th anniversary of Brazil-Japan diplomatic relations, first established in 1895, with the signing of the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation. This treaty allowed for the reciprocal opening of diplomatic representations in 1897 and paved the way for a significant wave of Japanese immigration to Brazil beginning in 1908.

Japan is one of Brazil’s leading partners in Asia. Since 2014 the two countries have maintained a Strategic and Global Partnership marked by cultural and social ties, an expanding cooperation in science, technology and innovation,  bilateral trade and investment flows, and active cooperation on international issues. This cooperation extends to the G4, where, together with Germany and India, they advocate for reforming the United Nations Security Council. A key mechanism for bilateral political collaboration is the Chancellors’ Dialogue, established in 2014 and last held in Brasilia in 2023.

Diplomatic relations between Brazil and Japan have been increasingly dynamic. This is evidenced by the extensive agenda of high-level visits and by initiatives such as the reciprocal exemption of visitor visas announced in September last year. In May 2023, during a side meeting at the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, President Lula met with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Meanwhile, Chancellor Mauro Vieira met with his counterpart, Yoshimasa Hayashi, who had been in Brazil in January 2023, following President Lula’s inauguration. In 2024, Chancellor Mauro Vieira met with Japan’s current Minister of Foreign Businesses, Yoko Kamikawa, during the G20 Chancellors’ Meeting in Rio de Janeiro.

The bilateral partnership includes significant trade and economic ties. Japan, as the world's fourth-largest economy, has a total investment stock in Brazil of about USD 28.5 billion. Japanese investments are diverse, spanning sectors such as automotive, electrical materials and steel manufacturing.

For over 60 years, technical cooperation has been a cornerstone of national development. Historically, two projects stand out for their economic impact: the strengthening of Brazil's iron mining and steel complex since the 1950s, and the technological evolution that, from the 1970s onwards, contributed to the development of tropical agriculture in the Cerrado region (savannah) through the Japanese-Brazilian Cooperation Program for the Development of the Cerrados (Prodecer).

Cooperation in Science, Technology & Innovation stands as another priority in the bilateral agenda. Among the most promising areas are information and communication technologies, aerospace technology, robotics, advanced materials, medical sciences and health, and renewable energies. Also noteworthy are the broad opportunities in the field of decarbonization, such as the use of ethanol for aviation fuel, green pig iron, and biomass for electricity generation. Brazil and Japan are also engaged in cooperation projects with other countries, exemplified by the implementation of the Japan-Brazil digital TV system.

In 2023, Japan stood as Brazil's second-largest trading partner in Asia and ninth globally, with a total trade volume reaching USD 11.7 billion, yielding a Brazilian surplus of USD 1.491 billion. Japan also holds the position of eighth-largest foreign direct investor in Brazil by ultimate controlling ownership, boasting an investment stock of approximately USD 28.5 billion.