“We want to be once again the preferred destination of Japanese investments,” said President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to Japan’s parliament members. President Lula came from South Korea to Japan, for a three-day visit.
“In this new phase of our historical association, we want Japan to see Brazil not only as a supplier of raw material, but also as an efficient producer of aggregated value goods,” added Lula, who spoke at the Japanese Parliament.
The Brazilian President recalled that Japanese investments in Brazil have been ingrained in the country’s industrialization and modernization history, since the 1960s.
Lula cited soy, for example, which is currently a major player of Brazil’s exports, and was introduced to Brazil with Japanese technical cooperation.
He said that the employment of Brazilian ethanol as a gasoline additive may be a reedition of that experience.
Lula also stated that the partnership between Brazil and Japan has “global vocation,” and he was applauded when mentioned the need for reforms at the United Nations Security Council:
“It is natural that Brazil and Japan support each other in this non-postponable updating process of the United Nations to comply with the requests of the contemporary world.”
The President also expressed deep appreciation for the support measures being taken by the Japanese Parliament, that refer to Brazilians living in that country, so that they can “benefit from the same opportunity to integrate Japanese society as Japanese immigrants had in Brazil.”
After visiting the Parliament, Lula, the Ministers, Parliament Members, and Governors that integrate the Brazilian delegation went to a meeting at the official residence of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
Agência Brasil