Newsroom
Japan may be far from Cyprus, but shipping, business and higher education are giving the two island countries reasons to work more closely together.
Foreign Minister Konstantinos Kompos said his visit to Japan opened a “new chapter” in relations, marking the first trip to the country by a Cypriot foreign minister in eight years.
In a post on X, Kompos described his meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi as excellent and said both sides confirmed their intention to strengthen the partnership.
The discussions covered opportunities to develop economic ties, maritime connectivity, shipping and higher education, areas that could make the relationship relevant beyond diplomatic meetings.
For Cyprus, closer cooperation could create opportunities for businesses, shipping professionals and universities. Those remain prospects, however: the minister’s posts did not announce specific commercial deals or student exchange programs.
The agenda also included Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific initiative, which promotes an open, rules-based regional order, and the next steps in relations between Japan and the European Union.
The ministers discussed developments affecting their respective regions and reaffirmed their shared commitment to international law.
Education was another focus of the visit. At Waseda University, Kompos met Executive Vice President Professor Shuichi Furuya and Professor Masato Shizume of the School of Political Science and Economics.
He said they had a productive exchange on opportunities for further cooperation in higher education.
For students and academics here, that is a part of the relationship to watch: whether the diplomatic push leads to practical links between universities, joint research or opportunities to study abroad.
