Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, Jose W. Fernandez, along with Commerce Under Secretary for International Trade, Marisa Lago, held a virtual meeting on September 26 with Japanese Senior Deputy Foreign Minister Akahori Takeshi and Vice Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Matsuo Takehiko. This meeting marked the 2024 vice-ministerial session of the U.S.-Japan Economic Policy Consultative Committee, also known as the Economic 2+2.
During the discussion, both countries reaffirmed their leaders’ commitment to closely aligning their economic and technology strategies. Participants addressed collaborative methods to tackle non-market policies and practices, as well as efforts to build diverse and sustainable critical minerals supply chains, with an emphasis on the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP).
The meeting also highlighted the importance of promoting and safeguarding critical and emerging technologies, alongside the need to expand the global market presence and commercialization of Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) technology.