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What is happening?
On September 1, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Japan met for the 8th Visegrad Group (V4) Plus Japan Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. The meeting took place in the vicinity of Bratislava, as Slovakia assumed the V4 Presidency on July 1. The previous V4+Japan Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was held five years ago in Poland, at a time when the international landscape looked very different from today. Against this backdrop, the ministers met to discuss how to address today’s challenges, strengthen cooperation and prepare for the future.
What is the broader picture?
The V4+Japan format was established in 2003, before the V4 countries joined the European Union (EU). Today, the platform is a key pillar of Japan–Europe cooperation, which, as Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi noted, is becoming increasingly important amid growing tensions in the field of economic security.
The V4 ministers expressed their gratitude for Japan’s strong engagement in the region: Relations between Tokyo and the individual V4 countries span more than 100 years, while around 930 Japanese companies contribute to the region’s economies, supply chains and labor markets. In Czechia, for example, around 270 Japanese companies employ approximately 50,000 people. In Slovakia, Motegi highlighted U.S. Steel Košice, which is currently transitioning to Nippon Steel Slovakia and is set to become the core hub of Nippon Steel’s European operations, employing around 8,000 people in the city of Košice.
The ministers identified three key areas for future cooperation. First, advancing scientific and technological cooperation through V4 Plus Japan Science and Technology Workshops, as well as through cooperation under Horizon Europe, the EU’s research and innovation funding program. Second, deepening cooperation on global AI governance. Third, recognizing the importance of the stability and development of the Western Balkans and continuing to support a strongly united Europe based on fundamental values.
Regional affairs were also discussed, including Ukraine, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific. Japan remains the largest Asian provider of aid to Ukraine, and the V4 ministers expressed support for Tokyo’s vision of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP), recognizing that the security of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions is inseparable.
Beyond the collective framework, the meeting also provided an opportunity for individual V4 countries to deepen their relations with Japan. For example, the Czech Republic and Japan signed an Action Plan for the Implementation of the Strategic Partnership Cooperation for 2026–2030, with bilateral priorities including economic relations, economic security, space and quantum technologies. Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka said that Japan is a key partner for Central Europe and practically the oldest partner of the V4. He also highlighted the strategic value of the V4+Japan format and expressed appreciation for its clear vision for the future, as demonstrated by concrete projects and investments.
Why does it matter?
The main takeaway from the meeting was that the security and economic interests of Europe and the Indo-Pacific are inseparable. According to Motegi, this is due to common challenges facing the V4 countries, the EU and Japan, including increasingly interconnected supply chains and excessive dependence on specific partners. He was referring to both energy dependencies on Russia and economic dependencies on China, which can be easily weaponized. For Japan, the most recent example was China’s reaction to a statement by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi last November, suggesting that Japan might become involved should China forcibly attempt to change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. China subsequently exerted significant diplomatic and economic pressure on Japan, leveraging Japan’s dependence on the Chinese market. This is also why Motegi stressed that expanding cooperation with trusted, like-minded and friendly nations, diversifying supply chains and enhancing resilience are of paramount importance.
Both the V4 and Japan share an interest in maintaining a free and open international order based on rule of law, which is increasingly being challenged by countries such as Russia, China and North Korea. The foreign ministers of the V4 and Japan agreed that they can build on the solid foundations of the V4+Japan partnership and take it to the next level through investment and cooperation in strategic areas, including economic security, and advanced science and technology.
The V4+Japan format was established more than 20 years ago, but as Motegi said, solidarity and cooperation among these countries are more important than ever to maintain and strengthen the rules-based international order. After all, it was that international order that brought this European block together with its geographically distant Asian partner in the first place.