President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva arrived in Tokyo, Japan, today (Mar. 24) for an official visit as head of state, aiming to open the Japanese market to Brazilian beef and advance negotiations for a trade agreement between Japan and the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), which Brazil co-founded with Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay.
The president’s first engagement will be a meeting with Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako on Tuesday (25). That evening, the monarchs will host a dinner at the Imperial Palace of Japan.
On Wednesday (26), Lula will attend the Brazil-Japan Business Forum, bringing together business leaders from both countries. He will also meet with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who will host a dinner at Akasaka Palace.
Lula will pay an official visit to Hanoi, Vietnam, on March 28 and 29. During his trip to Asia, Lula will be accompanied by a delegation of 11 ministers, as well as the presidents of the Senate, Davi Alcolumbre, and the House of Representatives, Hugo Motta, among other parliamentarians.
Trade and diplomacy
Brazilian diplomats state that a key objective of the trip is to obtain Japan’s political commitment to dispatch a technical mission of Japanese health authorities to Brazil for an inspection of the country’s beef production conditions. This would be a crucial step for Brazil to access Japan’s beef market, the world’s third-largest meat importer and one of the most sought-after markets in the animal protein sector.
From a commercial standpoint, Japan was Brazil’s third-largest trading partner in Asia in 2024 and the third-largest destination for Brazilian exports to the region, with a total trade volume of $11 billion and a surplus of $148 million. According to the Central Bank of Brazil, Japan’s direct investments in the country reached $35 billion in 2023, making it the ninth-largest source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Brazil and the second-largest investor from Asia.
In Vietnam, now the fifth-largest consumer of Brazilian agricultural products, the goal is to further strengthen the partnership, both commercially and diplomatically. One key objective of this visit is to solidify the steps required to elevate Vietnam to the status of a strategic partner for Brazil.
In 2024, trade between Brazil and Vietnam reached $7.7 billion, with Brazil recording a surplus of $415 million. This marks a significant increase from 2002, when Lula last visited the country, and trade between the two nations was only $500 million.
