Secretary Velasco and Minister Motegi Agree to Establish Working Group to Expand and Strengthen Mexico-Japan Relations

• Both countries announced the launch of the High-Level Economic Dialogue to boost cooperation in sectors such as artificial intelligence, the digital economy, and supply chain resilience
• A joint program to address the sargassum problem will be launched to mitigate its impact on the Caribbean Sea

This afternoon, Foreign Secretary Roberto Velasco Álvarez and Japan's Minister for Foreign Affairs Toshimitsu Motegi discussed their mutual interest in continuing to strengthen bilateral relations under the Global Strategic Partnership established in 2011.

Secretary Velasco took the opportunity to express the solidarity of the Mexican people and government over the tragic loss of life and damage caused by the earthquakes that struck Kumamoto Prefecture on July 28, a gesture Minister Motegi thanked him for.

At the meeting, the two officials agreed to establish a Working Group to advance new areas of collaboration that will help strengthen the bilateral relationship in politics, economics, and scientific and technological cooperation over the coming decades. They also noted that 2027 will mark the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Both officials acknowledged the excellent state of the bilateral trade relationship, driven in large part by the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), of which both countries are members. They also discussed opportunities to expand Japanese investment as part of Plan Mexico, committing to work closely together to continue improving the business environment.

They also exchanged views on regional and international issues, including challenges in the Asia-Pacific region and cooperation in forums such as the G20, and expressed their commitment to strengthening dialogue and multilateral cooperation to address the challenges of a changing international landscape.

In a joint message to the press, they announced the launch of the High-Level Economic Dialogue, a new framework designed to increase bilateral trade, which reached $9.9 billion between January and May 2026 alone, a 4% increase over the same period the previous year.

"This year, dialogue has been constant and conducted at a high level: direct contact between President Sheinbaum and Prime Minister Takaichi, ongoing communication between foreign ministers, and the eleventh meeting of the political consultation mechanism [...] Through the High-Level Economic Dialogue, we will boost collaboration on artificial intelligence and the digital economy, and strengthen the economic resilience of both countries and of strategic supply chains," Secretary Velasco said.

Separately, as part of development cooperation between the two countries' cooperation agencies, they announced the upcoming launch of a joint program to address the sargassum problem, aimed at building capacity and helping mitigate the situation facing the Caribbean Sea.

During the visit, the two officials toured an exhibit of historical documents on the Mexico-Japan relationship, provided by the Foreign Ministry's Archives of Diplomatic History, bearing witness to 138 years of exchanges.