Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 to 14, inclusive, together.

I visited Japan between 1 and 5 December 2013. While in Tokyo, I was delighted to have an opportunity for a brief informal meeting with US Vice President Joe Biden, who was in Japan as part of a wider visit to the region. This was not a formal meeting, and we did not have an opportunity to engage in substantive discussion on policy issues. We briefly discussed our respective visits to Japan. I mentioned my meeting with Prime Minister Abe the previous day, at which we had agreed a new bilateral partnership for growth and innovation between Ireland and Japan. I also mentioned the very welcome announcement by the Japanese Government that it is re-opening its beef market for Irish exports. The Vice President outlined the broad nature of his visit to Asia, including his trips to Japan, China and Korea.

We also spoke briefly about Ireland’s economic recovery and our impending exit from the EU-IMF programme of assistance. We briefly touched on developments in Northern Ireland, including the process being led by Richard Haass to deal with flags, parades and the past. We also discussed the state of play of the US immigration reform legislation, an issue with which the Vice President is closely engaged. We did not discuss corporation tax issues, or the matter of the appointment of a US ambassador to Ireland.

The recently appointed US Ambassador to Japan, Caroline Kennedy, who is well known to us in Ireland, accompanied the Vice President at our meeting. She spoke of the success of events held in Ireland to mark the 50th anniversary of the death of President John F. Kennedy, and how appreciative she and her family were of the hospitality afforded to them during their visit to Ireland.

Finally, I mentioned my plans to visit Washington for the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in 2014, and I reiterated what is a standing invitation to the Vice President to visit Ireland during his tenure of office.

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