Japan, France Agree to ‘Coordinate Closely’ on China Issues

French President Emmanuel Macron (C) is welcomed by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and First Lady Yuko Kishida during a visit to the Peace Memorial Park on the sidelines of the G-7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, on May 19, 2023. The G-7 summit will be held in Hiroshima from May 19–22. Franck Robichon/Pool/Getty Images

The leaders of Japan and France agreed on Friday to strengthen their bilateral economic and security cooperation and pledged to “coordinate closely” on issues related to China.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and French President Emmanuel Macron held talks ahead of a G-7 leaders summit in Hiroshima, Japan, during which they exchanged views on the situation in East Asia.