The Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias, completed on Thursday 4 December 2025 his official visit to Japan.
Mr. Dendias had a meeting today with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayano Kunimitsu, who hosted a working lunch. The Minister of National Defence had the opportunity to exchange views with Ms. Kunimitsu on security challenges in Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean, Africa, and the Indo-Pacific.
The Greek Minister then visited the House of Representatives of Japan, where he had a meeting with the President of the Greece – Japan Parliamentary Friendship Group, Taro Kono, whom he invited to visit Greece.
The Minister of National Defence also visited the National Institute for Defence Studies today, where he delivered a speech before the Academy’s officer cadets. Furthermore, he answered to their questions on the defence relations between Greece and Japan, and the security environment in the wider region of Northeastern Mediterranean Sea.
Immediately afterwards, Mr. Dendias met his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi at the Ministry of Defence in Tokyo, where an official welcoming ceremony was held. During the meeting, specific ways of strengthening the Greece – Japan defence cooperation were discussed, particularly in innovation and advanced technologies, with an emphasis on their application in the maritime environment. During the meeting, the Greek Minister extended an official invitation to his Japanese counterpart to visit Greece, which he accepted.
Extended talks between the two delegations followed.
After the end of the meeting with his counterpart, Mr. Dendias stated:
“A few minutes ago, my meeting with the Minister of Defence of Japan, Mr. Koizumi came to an end. It is the first meeting between the defence ministers of Greece and Japan to ever take place. A meeting that allowed me to explain the challenges my country, Greece, is facing, and on the other side, to understand how Japan sees the challenges it faces.
Both Greece and Japan can see things in a similar way, because they are two naval countries that face challenges related to the marine environment. They are two naval nations and I would like to remind you of something that may not be known to many Greek people: Japan is a country that has signed the Treaty of Lausanne and the Treaty of Montreux, and therefore Japan’s views on UNCLOS – on the implementation of International Law in maritime space – are very important for us.
I look forward to a cooperation between the Defence Innovation Science & Technology Institute (DISTI) of Japan’s Research and Technology organisation with Greece’s Hellenic Center for Defence Innovation SA (ELKAK). We have already discussed with Minister Mr. Koizumi how to implement this cooperation.
Also, as is obvious, I have extended an invitation to my Japanese counterpart to visit Athens; another first!”
The visit concluded with a brief meeting between Mr. Dendias and the President of the Japan Greece Society, Yasuyoshi Karasawa.
On Wednesday 3 December 2025, the Minister of National Defence visited the Naval Systems Research Center of the Japanese Ministry of Defence in Meguro city. He was briefed on the latest developments in underwater weapons and advanced sonar search, countermeasures to mines, autonomous and unmanned surface and sub-surface vehicles.
He then went to Ebisu, where the Defence Innovation Science & Technology Institute’s facilities are located. DISTI has been founded by the Japanese Defence Ministry’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA).
The Minister was informed about the innovation research projects developed by the Institute in the field of defence technology and the possibility of cooperation between DISTI and ELKAK was examined.
The Greek Minister of National Defence was accompanied in his visits by the Deputy Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office and Deputy Defence Minister of Japan Shinji Yoshida.
Yesterday, Mr. Dendias had a meeting in Tokyo with the Ambassador of the European Union to Japan Jean-Eric Paquet, with whom he exchanged views on current security developments, as well as regional and international issues.
