TOKYO, Japan, March 6, 2026 /CNW/ - Today, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, met with the Prime Minister of Japan, Takaichi Sanae, during his bilateral visit to Japan.

Prime Minister Carney congratulated Prime Minister Takaichi on her decisive election victory. The leaders reaffirmed the close and longstanding relationship between their two countries, grounded in shared democratic values, strong economic ties, nearly $40 billion in trade, and vibrant cultural connections.

In a rapidly changing world, the leaders agreed that greater cooperation between Canada and Japan offers tremendous opportunities for our workers, businesses, and families. During their meeting, Prime Minister Carney and Prime Minister Takaichi agreed to intensify cooperation across a range of priority areas, including defence, critical minerals, trade, energy, climate, and people-to-people ties.

To bolster the defence relationship, the leaders emphasised opportunities to expand military cooperation, collaborate on defence procurement – including dual-use technologies – and to work together on frontier technologies, such as artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, aerospace, and space communications.

The leaders discussed three bilateral Memorandums of Cooperation through which to strengthen cooperation on:

• Crisis response, to assist and evacuate nationals during international emergencies, including enhanced information-sharing and joint contingency planning.
• Joint patrol coordination and enforcement against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in the North Pacific, helping protect marine ecosystems and coastal communities.
• Information sharing, patrol coordination, and joint exercises between the Canadian Coast Guard and the Japan Coast Guard.

The prime ministers underscored the potential for expanded trade and cooperation on energy projects, including LNG, LPG, nuclear technologies, hydrogen, and carbon capture.

They discussed the growing economic and security partnerships between Canada and Japan, and agreed to strengthen coordination on security and technology, including cyber threats.

As a reflection of the close ties between our two countries, Prime Minister Carney invited Prime Minister Takaichi to visit Canada. The leaders agreed to remain in close contact.

Associated links

• Canada-Japan relations
• Joint statement on Canada-Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

This document is also available at https://pm.gc.ca

SOURCE Prime Minister's Office