French President Emmanuel Macron has arrived in Japan for a visit that was initially aimed at strengthening partnerships in nuclear energy and space innovation, but is now set to be dominated by the war in the Middle East. He will conclude his trip later in the week in South Korea.
A large delegation composed of five ministers – including Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin, and Culture Minister Catherine Pégard – as well as numerous business leaders, will accompany Macron to Tokyo on his fourth official visit to Japan.
According the Elysee Palace ahead of the trip, the French president will hold talks with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Wednesday, and "the crisis in the Middle East will be at the heart of discussions."
The two leaders will reportedly discuss finding "common solutions" to the crisis.
Japan depends on the Middle East for 95 percent of its oil imports and has had to dip into strategic stockpiles to temper the impact of rising fuel prices since the start of the war.
Economy and finance ministers from G7 countries, which include France and Japan, said on Monday they stood ready to take "all necessary measures" to ensure the stability of the energy market as they tackled the economic consequences of the war.
Focus on Hormuz
Wednesday will be Macron's "first full-fledged meeting" with Takaichi, according to a Japanese foreign ministry official, though the two met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in November.
Among expectations for the talks was "continued communication" with a view towards the "calming down of the situation in Iran", the official said.
The conflict, triggered a month ago by the United States and Israel against Iran, and Tehran’s response, have led to a de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz — a key Gulf shipping lane through which a large share of Japan’s oil imports normally transit.
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Beyond the geopolitical crisis, the French president is counting on this visit to highlight "France's attractiveness," according to his entourage.
Accompanied by numerous French business leaders, he is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, on the sidelines of an economic forum, with the heads of Softbank, a leading investor in artificial intelligence, Iwatani, the Japanese company that invested in the Lyon-based startup Carester, and Horiba, a manufacturer of research equipment.
Macron and Takaichi are also expected to discuss security and partnerships in the space sector, and intend to sign a roadmap on nuclear power in Japan, the Elysee said.
French foie gras
On the topic of trade, French foie gras producers are hoping Macron will broach the lifting of import barriers which Japan put in place in 2023 because of a bird flu outbreak.
Until then, Japan had been the number one market for France's duck liver delicacy.
The Cifog foie gras producers' association president Fabien Chevalier told French news agency AFP that the vaccination strategy begun in 2023 had "proven its worth" and that foie gras was making a comeback.
Some 14,500 tonnes of foie gras were produced in 2025, against 14,000 tonnes in 2024 and just 8,000 tonnes in 2022 when bird flu and the Covid-19 fallout badly hit the industry, the Cifog said.
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A state visit is scheduled for South Korea on Thursday and Friday, where Macron will meet with his counterpart Lee Jae-myung.
He will pay tribute to the Korean War veterans, speak with students and inaugurate the Pompidou Hanwha Center in Seoul, a building designed by the French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte.
Macron is expected to attend meetings with the leaders of major tech groups such as Samsung, Naver and Hyundai Motors.
The French president's tour to Asia will also be an occasion to prepare for the G7 summit being hosted by France in Evian this June.
Japan is a member of the G7 and South Korea – a member of the G20 – is among the invited guests.
(with newswires)
