On Wednesday 20th May, 2026 Antigua and Barbuda, and Japan held bilateral discussions on the margins of the 29th Meeting of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) held in Paramaribo, Republic of Suriname.

The Honourable E.P. Chet Greene, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Immigration of Antigua and Barbuda engaged in dialogue with Her Excellency Ms. Eri Arfiya, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan on areas of cooperation.

Vice-Minister Arfiya congratulated Minister Greene on the recent reelection of the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) at the recently held General Elections. She also thanked the Foreign Minister for his dedicated support to Japan, through his visit during Expo 2025 in Osaka, which serve to bolster solidarity between both countries.

In response, Minister Greene praised the outstanding relations that exist between the two island states, while thanking Japan for its continued support to CARICOM in areas of climate change, disaster risk management, reform of the global financial structure, and sustainable development.

The Foreign Minister also took the opportunity to request from the Japanese delegation support in areas of transportation for the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which was given favourable consideration by his counterpart.

Consequently, both officials revisited the possibility of the Government of Antigua and Barbuda establishing a Permanent diplomatic mission in Tokyo, once the necessary feasibility studies were concluded.

Both parties also recommitted their stance on the respect for democracy, sovereignty, respect for international law; while discussing the reform of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), and existing Japanese projects on Antigua and Barbuda.