Bilateral Relations

On 25 July, 6 members of the Standing Committee on Budget, the House of Representatives, led by Mr Yuji Yamamoto, Member of the House of Representatives (Chairman of the Standing Committee on Budget) visited Ireland. They paid courtesy calls on the Taoiseach, Mr Enda Kenny TD, and Mr Sean Barrett TD, Ceann Comhairle, and had meetings with Mr Michael Noonan TD, Minister for Finance, and Professor Patrick Honohan, Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland.

From 18 to 19 June, the Prime Minister’s wife, Mrs Akie Abe visited Ireland, and after paying a courtesy call on President Michael D. Higgins and his wife at Aras an Uachtarain with the Prime Minister, she visited St Ciaran’s Special School, and met former participants in the JET Programme. Mrs Abe also visited the Old Library at Trinity College Dublin and met the Taoiseach’s wife, Mrs Fionnuala Kenny. (For further information, see "Visit to Ireland by Mrs Akie Abe" on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.)

On 19 June, Prime Minister Abe visited Ireland, and following a courtesy call on President Michael D. Higgins at Aras an Uachtarain, he met the Taoiseach Enda Kenny at the Department of the Taoiseach, and they held a Japan-Ireland joint press conference. (For further information, see "Visit to Ireland by Prime Minister Abe" on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.)

Between 2 and 4 May, Mr Hakubun Shimomura, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, visited Ireland and, on 2 May, met with Mr Ruairi Quinn TD, Minister for Education and Skills and signed a “Memorandum on Cooperation in the fields of Education, Science, Technology, Culture, and Sports between the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology of Japan and the Department of Education and Skills of Ireland”.

The Minister held meetings with Dr Leo Varadkar TD, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, and Mr Sean Sherlock TD, Minister for State with special responsibility for Research and Innovation, as well as talks with Mr Sean Barrett, Ceann Comhairle and members of the Ireland-Japan Parliamentary Friendship Group.

The Minister also visited Chester Beatty Library guided by Mr. Jimmy Deenihan, TD, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.