Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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499. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has engaged with the new Japanese Prime Minister to date in 2021; and if he will provide a briefing note in respect of those engagements. [50559/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Prime Minister Kishida was designated by the Diet in Japan on 4 October. The House of Representatives was dissolved on 14 October, and a general election is scheduled to take place on 31 October.I have not as yet had any direct engagement with the Prime Minister in his new role. However, I recall that Prime Minister Kishida visited Ireland in 2017, in his capacity as Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, on the occasion of the 60^thanniversary of diplomatic relations between the Japan and Ireland.

Ireland and Japan have a strong history of engagement and cooperation, both bilaterally and in various multilateral settings, including first and foremost the United Nations, to which our two countries are so strongly committed. I look forward to deepening this cooperation in the coming period.