Fifth Japan-Canada Foreign and Defense Vice Ministerial Meeting (“2+2”)

(Press Release)


March 10, 2022
Japan Ministry of Defense

Fifth Japan-Canada Foreign and Defense Vice Ministerial Meeting (“2+2”)

　

On March 10, via video teleconference, Mr. TSUCHIMICHI Akihiro, Vice-Minister of Defense for International Affairs, and Mr. YAMADA Shigeo, Senior Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, from the Japanese side, and Mr. Bill Matthews, Deputy Minister of National Defence, and Ms. Marta Morgan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, from the Canadian side, held the fifth Japan-Canada Foreign and Defense Vice Ministerial Meeting (“2+2”).

    1. During this meeting, the two sides discussed their respective foreign and defense policies and exchanged their views on the situation in Ukraine as well as regional affairs, including China and North Korea. Both sides welcomed the progress in their coordination on diplomatic/security policies, and confirmed to deepen the existing coordination further.
    2. The two sides discussed topics such as maintenance of the maritime international order, measures to address illicit ship-to-ship transfers, defense cooperation and responses to COVID-19, with the aim of advancing the concrete aspects of the six priority areas of cooperation toward the realization of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific.” Both sides shared the view to hold further discussions about the concrete details of the cooperation.

    [Note]

    1. The establishment of the Japan-Canada Foreign and Defense Vice Ministerial Meeting (“2+2”) was decided at the Japan-Canada Summit Meeting in November 2010. The 1st meeting was held in August 2011, the 2nd in March 2014, the 3rd in April 2016 and the 4th in December 2018.
    2. "Shared Japan-Canada Priorities Contributing to a Free and Open Indo-Pacific," (English (PDF))