Hungary and Japan strengthen business, trade and tech ties in Tokyo
Hungary and Japan are deepening their partnership on multiple fronts: while business leaders met in Tokyo to boost trade ties in food, software and sustainable industries, ministers agreed to expand cooperation in key strategic areas such as peace efforts, space research and nuclear energy.
Business forum in Tokyo: Hungarian companies seek new partnerships with Japan
Addressing the business forum, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjártó said representatives of Hungarian companies in the food, software and sustainable infrastructure industries had accompanied his delegation.
He added that those companies had the full backing of the Hungarian government in forging closer ties with Japanese partners and establishing a bigger presence on the Japanese market.
He noted that bilateral trade between Hungary and Japan had stabilised around USD 2.5bn a year. Japanese-owned companies form the ninth-largest group of foreign investors in Hungary and employ 30,000 people, he said.
The Hungarian government has signed strategic partnership agreements with seven Japanese companies, including Suzuki and Bridgestone, he added.
At talks with ministers from the Japanese government on Wednesday, Szijjártó said the sides had agreed that bilateral ties should be expanded. He added that a number of business events were planned at the site of Expo 2025 in Osaka on Thursday, while Hungary would open a consulate, too.
Szijjártó said Hungary advocated international cooperation based on mutual respect and a “civilised” partnership between East and West.
Nuclear energy collaboration: extending the life of reactors
Japan is ready to develop its cooperation with Hungary in such crucial areas as efforts for peace, space research and the nuclear industry, Péter Szijjártó, the minister of foreign affairs and trade, said in Tokyo on Wednesday.
The foreign ministry quoted Szijjártó as saying after talks with his Japanese counterpart, IWAYA Takeshi, that at a time of wars and security crises across the world, all countries, especially those suffering from wars in their close vicinity, have an interest in “resolving as many of those conflicts as possible.”
“We saw eye to eye that international law must be respected by everyone and that wars should not be resolved on the battleground but at the negotiating table, through diplomatic efforts,” Szijjártó said. He noted that all efforts to put an end to the war in Ukraine on the battleground had failed. US President Donald Trumps peace efforts “must be considered as an example … they seek to end the war through diplomatic means,” he added.
The Hungarian and Japanese sides confirmed their cooperation in space research and technology, Szijjártó said, and noted that Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu had received part of his training for his recent space mission in Japan.
Hungary and Japan also call for closer nuclear industry cooperation as both countries seek to increase their nuclear capacities, Szijjártó said. “To that end we could extend the life of existing nuclear blocks. The necessary technical solutions are being elaborated in both countries,” he said.
Minister Iwaya emphasized Japan’s intention to deepen cooperation with Hungary across various fields, building on more than 155 years of bilateral friendship. He highlighted Japan’s commitment to advancing ties in the future and underscored the importance of achieving a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, noting that security in the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions is closely linked.
Minister Iwaya also raised concerns over East Asia, including North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs as well as the abductions issue, and agreed with Szijjártó to continue close bilateral consultations.
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UPDATE
Szijjarto presents Hungarian-made Kuube smartbench in Tokyo
Minister Szijjártó gifted a Hungarian-made Kuube smartbench to the Tokyo government office during an official visit to Japan on Wednesday, his ministry said in a statement.
Szijjártó said the innovative, solar-powered smartbench dovetailed with Tokyo’s goal to become carbon neutral by 2050. He acknowledged Japan’s leading role in the global economy’s high-tech transformation and highlighted both countries’ efforts to reduce carbon emissions.