Vice President Michetti’s Visit to Japan – Tokyo, 11-13 May 2016

The Vice President of the Argentine Republic, Gabriela Michetti, made a visit to Japan from 11 to 13 May 2016 with the aim of implementing agreements reached at the meeting between President Mauricio Macri and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, on the occasion of the Washington Nuclear Security Summit held on 1 April.

The visit reflects the recognition of Japan as a priority country for Argentina and its main purpose is to revitalize bilateral relations and, in that context, emphasize the commitment of the Argentine Government to the new policies introduced to create a business climate that will favour an increase in bilateral trade exchange, as well as Japanese investments in Argentina.

Vice President Michetti was received by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with whom she agreed to work on the strengthening of relations between both countries and, especially, to hold meetings at the highest political level. Vice President Michetti expressed the desire to receive Prime Minister Abe in Argentina following the invitation made by President Macri, and Prime Minister Abe in turn extended a formal invitation to President Macri to visit Japan. Moreover, they exchanged views on the future work at the G-20, which Argentina aspires to chair in 2018, as well as on Argentina’s intention to enter the Organization on Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Vice President Michetti also met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Taro Aso and Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Motoo Hayashi, with whom she discussed the growth potential of relations with Argentina. With Minister Hayashi, she exchanged a Memorandum of Cooperation creating the “Joint Committee for Promotion of Trade and Investment between Argentina and Japan” and expressed support for the first meeting of the Joint Committee to be held in Buenos Aires this year. Minister Hayashi expressed willingness to work together with the Argentine Government to improve Argentina’s rating in the OECD’s classification, in order to benefit bilateral economic relations. They also referred to the dispatch of a trade mission to Argentina with the support of JETRO in July and announced the decision to send a permanent representative of JETRO to Argentina. All of these measures and the statements by the main Japanese business groups that met with Vice President Michetti and her delegation show their support for and favourable expectations about Argentina. The Argentine Vice President and her delegation also met with Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI) and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).

Vice President Michetti also met with Deputy Foreign Minister Hitoshi Kikawada and was received at the Upper House of the Japanese National Diet by its President, Masaaki Yamazaki. She also met with the Chairman of the Japan-Argentina Parliamentary Friendship League, Representative Kunio Hatoyama, and its members, with a view to cementing the friendship between congressmen of both countries.

Vice President Michetti attached special priority to the meetings with the Chairmen of the Japanese government agencies in charge of foreign trade (JETRO); international cooperation (JICA); export credit insurance (NEXI); oil, gas and metals (JOGMEC); and overseas infrastructure investment (JOIN), as well as the meeting with the CEO of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). She also strengthened ties with the highest representatives of the Japanese business sectors, including meetings with the firms Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Marubeni and Toyota, among other top companies of particular interest to Argentina.

On 12 May, the Argentina-Japan Joint Economic Forum was held, organized by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan. At this event, the Argentine delegation described the new policies adopted by the Government as regards trade and investments for national development, within a framework of renewed interest and expectations from the Japanese public and private sectors arising from Argentina’s favourable prospects.

Vice President Michetti’s delegation was made up of Argentina’s Deputy Minister of Finance and Secretary of Economic Policy and Development Planning, Pedro Lacoste; the Deputy Minister of Production and Secretary of Trade, Miguel Braun; the Secretary of Industry and Services, Martín Etchegoyen; the Secretary of Mining, Daniel Meilán; the Undersecretary for Trade and Investments of the Argentine Foreign Ministry, Marcelo Lucco; the President of the Agency for Investment and International Trade, Juan Martín Procaccini; the Director-General of International Relations of the Senate, José Ignacio Ortiz Amaya; and the Director for Asia and Oceania, Estanislao Zawels, and the Director of Investments, Alfredo Bascou, of the Argentine Foreign Ministry.

Press Release No. 142/16

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