Japan and France agreed on Wednesday (April 1) to coordinate closely in pushing for an end to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to oil and gas tankers, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said.

At the bilateral talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Tokyo Takaichi addressed the importance of cooperation on energy security.

With the Middle East conflict now in its fifth week, Japan, France and other countries are grappling with rising energy costs. Unless the conduit for about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas flows reopens, they could face shortages of petroleum products.

Japan, which normally gets around 90% of its ⁠oil from the Middle East, has begun drawing on its oil reserves to cushion the economic blow.

Speaking alongside Takaichi, Macron said he shared her position on the need to restore freedom of navigation in the strait.

France has held talks with dozens of countries as it seeks proposals for a mission to reopen the waterway once the conflict ends. Japan has said it could consider dispatching minesweepers, though the scope of any role would be constrained by its pacifist constitution.

The two leaders also said they would pursue closer security ties in the Indo-Pacific and signed agreements on cooperation in critical mineral supply chains, civilian nuclear technology and artificial intelligence.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: TOKYO, JAPAN (APRIL 1, 2026) (FOREIGN POOL - Access all)

1. FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, AND JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER, SANAE TAKAICHI, ARRIVING FOR MEETING AND SITTING DOWN AT TABLE

2. MACRON SEATED

3. MEETING IN PROGRESS

4. (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER, SANAE TAKAICHI, SAYING:

"In an increasingly severe international security environment, cooperation with like-minded countries including France, which also holds the G7 presidency, has become more important. We aim to firmly strengthen strategic collaboration in areas such as security and defence, as well as economic security.”

5. MEETING IN PROGRESS

6. MACRON AND TAKAICHI ARRIVING FOR SIGNING CEREMONY

7. VARIOUS OF MACRON AND TAKAICHI SIGNING DOCUMENTS

8. VARIOUS OF MACRON AND TAKAICHI EXCHANGING DOCUMENTS AND POSING FOR PHOTOS

9. MACRON AND TAKAICHI WALKING TO PODIUMS

10. MACRON SPEAKING, TAKAICHI LISTENING

11. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, SAYING:

“First and foremost, we both believe in international law, in the international order that lies on the United Nations charter. We also believe in the democratic values we defend. As you said, we both defend the return to peace, to ceasefire, to calm, to freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. This is also why since February 2022 (start of Russian invasion of Ukraine), Japan has been by the side of Europeans to remind of the importance of a just and long-lasting peace and the respect of international law.”

12. MACRON SPEAKING

13. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, SAYING:

“During this visit, a roadmap for critical minerals and materials was signed, which will allow us to strengthen our partnership and diversify our capacity to partner with other countries and source our resources. Through innovation, we are also adopting common techniques for separating these rare earth elements. The Caremag project, which you mentioned, focused on rare earth elements and led by the companies Carester and Iwatani, and with the second phase of investment recently announced, it is, I believe, the best illustration of this roadmap.”

14. NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS

15. (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER, SANAE TAKAICHI, SAYING:

"Regarding the situation in the Middle East, including developments in Iran, we confirmed the importance of ensuring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, maintaining stable supply of critical goods, and the early de-escalation of tensions. We agreed to continue close communication on these issues. Later, over dinner, we will engage in deeper discussions, including perspectives on energy security.

16. WHITE FLASH

17. (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER, SANAE TAKAICHI, SAYING:

"Going forward, Japan and France will cooperate strategically to strengthen supply chain resilience. On this occasion, we have signed the Japan-France critical minerals cooperation roadmap. The heavy rare-earth project by CareMag, a symbol of the collaboration between Japan and France, is making steady progress, and we will further accelerate bilateral cooperation in this field."

18. MACRON AND TAKAICHI SHAKING HANDS BEFORE DOING DRAGON BALL "KAMEHAMEHA" POSE

19. VARIOUS OF MACRON AND TAKAICHI ATTENDING HONOUR GUARD CEREMONY