Japan, 4 Central, Eastern European Nations Affirm AI Cooperation

Tokyo, Sept. 1 (Jiji Press)--The foreign ministers from Japan and four Central and Eastern European nations forming the Visegrad Four, or V4, framework agreed Tuesday to boost cooperation between research institutions and companies from the countries over cutting-edge technologies, such as artificial intelligence.

At a meeting held near Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, the ministers, including Japan's Toshimitsu Motegi, also affirmed the importance of working together to strengthen a free and open international order based on the rule of law.

This was the first meeting between the foreign chiefs of Japan and the V4 nations--Slovakia, Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary--since one held in Poland in May 2021.

Discussing economic issues, the five ministers shared the view that it is necessary to create resilient supply chains while avoiding heavy reliance on certain countries.

Noting at a joint press conference after the meeting that a total of over 900 Japanese companies are operating in the four Central and Eastern European nations, Motegi pledged that Japan will continue making contributions to the development of the region's economy.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]