On 15 November 2021, the State Secretary of the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Andris Pelšs, met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Latvia, Yasuhiro Kawaguchi.
The State Secretary commended the Ambassador’s contribution to the enhancement of bilateral relations and expressed satisfaction with the close cooperation between Latvia and Japan. 2021 the two countries marked the centenary of their friendship. Andris Pelšs highlighted in particular the Ambassador’s contribution to the success of the official visit to Latvia by the then Foreign Minister, Toshimitsu Motegi. This was the first visit of that level to the Baltic States, during which a Joint Communication of the foreign ministers was adopted. The document accentuated support for shared values and principles, including democracy, human rights and the rule of law, as well as multilateralism and a rules-based international order. Andris Pelšs underlined Latvia’s interest in cooperation with Japan as a like-minded partner in the Indo-Pacific – a region of strategic importance.
Yasuhiro Kawaguchi welcomed the positive development of the relation between Latvia and Japan characterised by exchange of high-level visits, regular political consultations and successful cooperation in business and culture. The Ambassador expressed hope that the Latvian-Japanese relations will continue evolving and become even closer.
The bilateral relations between Latvia and Japan have demonstrated positive dynamics over recent years. During the Ambassador’s tenure, inter-parliamentary cooperation has been active and the security dimension of the political dialogue has been developed, with Japanese officials and academics taking part in the Riga Conference. An active economic dialogue has facilitated visits to Latvia by important Japanese business delegations, and special attention has been paid to the attraction of investments. Latvia and Japan have potential for further cooperation projects in the areas of information and communication technologies, transport, logistics, and renewable energy. The development of dynamic cultural contacts in underway. In recent years, the Embassy of Japan has been cooperating actively with Riga Bourse Art Museum, Latvian composer, maestro Raimonds Pauls, has been conferred a Japanese state decoration, and in 2019, Riga and Kobe celebrated the anniversary of their town-twinning.
In gratitude for his personal contribution to the development of bilateral relations, Ambassador Kawaguchi is to receive a Latvian state decoration during his visit to the President of Latvia.
Yasuhiro Kawaguchi has been Ambassador of Japan to the Republic Latvia since January 2018.