HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a session of official talks at Cabinet Headquarters this evening.
During the session the two sides discussed bilateral relations and means of developing them in various fields and exchanged, in depth, views on regional and international issues of mutual concern.
The two sides reached a broad consensus especially with regard to the preemptive peace contribution policy which is based on the principle of international cooperation.
An agreement was reached during the session on the issuance of a joint statement between the State of Qatar and Japan on the enhancement and expansion of cooperation in the context of the comprehensive partnership between the two countries.
 Joint Statement on the Promotion and Expansion of Cooperation in the Context of the Comprehensive Partnership between the State of Qatar and Japan HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani paid an official visit to Japan on 19 and 20 February 2015. During the visit HH the Emir met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The two sides valued the great development in the bilateral relations of cooperation and the two sides agreed that stability in the Middle East is the base of peace and prosperity in the world. The Japanese sided highlighted the efforts made by the State of Qatar to achieve this end.
The Japanese side explained its determination and efforts to contribute in a more preemptive way for the sake of peace, stability and prosperity of the international community in the context of the preemptive peace contribution policy which is based on the principle of international cooperation.
In response to this, the Qatari side expressed its support of that policy and welcomed Japan's contribution to the attainment of regional and international peace. The Qatari side also underlined that international peace and stability in the world will not be achieved without a dialogue based on the principle of equality, adherence to the rules of the international law, the implementation of the international legality resolutions, the respect of human rights and rights of peoples, revitalization of the United Nations Charter to prevent the occurrence of disputes, addressing of their routs and their settlement through peaceful means.
Reminding of the Joint Statement issued under the title "Strengthening of the Comprehensive Partnership towards Stability and Prosperity'' issued on the occasion of the visit of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on 23-24 August 2013, the two sides expressed their intention to continue the strengthening and expansion of cooperation in various fields within the context of the comprehensive partnership as follows:
1- In the field of policy and security: (Bilateral Cooperation and Exchange)
1- HH the Emir offered deep condolences to the Japanese people on the killing of two Japanese nationals in Syria and expressed solidarity with Japan. For his part, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed appreciation for the solidarity and sympathy of the Qatari side.
The two sides expressed in the strongest possible words, the condemnation of all forms of terrorism. The two sides agreed that Japan and the State of Qatar will remain united in confronting the threat posed by terrorism and in working to maintain peace and stability in the Middle East area.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed his support for the efforts of the State of Qatar and the international community in the fight against terrorism.
HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani expressed deep appreciation for the long-term contribution which Japan has been providing for this purpose through non-military humanitarian assistance and welcomed Japan's determination to continue the strengthening of such participation.
2- The two sides welcomed the convening of the first political dialogue conference in Doha in January 2014 and the convening of the first security dialogue in Tokyo in June 2014. The two sides expressed their determination to continue the promotion of the frameworks of such dialogues. The two sides welcomed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in the field of defensive exchange.
3- The two sides welcomed the participation of members of Qatar's Standing Committee for Emergency in a training course on nuclear security in Japan during the month of December, 2013.
The two sides expressed their intention to continue the promotion of cooperation to realize safety and peace in national territories, regions and an economic community with power and flexibility even in cases of disasters, and their determination to cooperate closely to make a success the United Nations World Conference on DRR scheduled to take place in March 2015 in Sendai.
( Cooperation through multi-party frameworks).
4- The two sides welcomed the fruitful results of the round of the strategic dialogue of senior officials and experts between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states and Japan, held in Tokyo in January 2015 and their determination to continue expanding such dialogue and cooperation between Japan and member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
5- The two sides reiterated their determination to work closely towards the success of the United Nations Congress on Prevention of Crime and Criminal Justice, slated for Doha in April 2015. The Qatari side expressed support of Japan's candidacy for hosting the 14th United Nations International Conference.
2- The Economic Fields (General Frameworks)
6-The two sides welcomed the success of the 8th meeting of the Joint Economic Commission between Qatar and japan, held in November 2014 and underlined that they will continue to use this framework as a forum for the exchange of viewpoints on bilateral economic cooperation in a wide range of areas.
7- The two sides welcomed the signing of an agreement on the avoidance of dual taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with regard to income tax and expressed their strong determination to continue the negotiations currently underway on a proposed agreement on the encouragement and protection of investment.
8-The two sides expressed their determination to exert joint effort for the early resumption of negotiations on a free trade agreement between the Gulf Cooperation Council and Japan.
9- The two sides expressed their determination to continue discussions on the alleviation and lift of restrictions on Japanese food products, imposed after the northeast Japan massive earthquake which hit in March 2011.
10- The two sides welcomed the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) in the field information technology and communications to promote cooperation in areas such as exchange of information, exchange of expertise, promotion of the commercial activities and investments between the two countries in the area of communications and information technology.
11- The two sides welcomed the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) in the field of health. The two sides welcomed Japan's plan to contribute in the improvement of health care in the State of Qatar through the provision of the wide-spread Japanese medical products such as X-ray imaging, other digital imaging systems used in Japan. The Japanese side welcomed the interest of the State of Qatar in learning from the experience of Japan in the field of medicine regulations and the medical equipment.
(The Field of Energy)
12- The Japanese side expressed the hope that the State of Qatar would remain a reliable source of natural resources and to contribute in realizing a more competitive and flexible market of the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) including the easing of the destination terms.
The Qatari side reiterated its commitment to continuing and expanding its supplies of oil and LNG to Japan as per terms and rules acceptable to both sides and in a stable and reliable manner. The two sides viewpoints were identical regarding that competitive pricing of LNG will be important for the achievement of sustainable development in the LNG market.
In this context, the two sides underlined the importance of dialogue between producers and consumers in the energy sector, at forums such as the fourth conference of LNG producing and consuming countries, due to be held in Tokyo on 16 September 2015.
 13 - The two sides welcomed the participation of Japanese companies in the development of oil and LNG such as the Block A project and LNG projects in the State of Qatar and stressed the support of the State of Qatar to Japanese companies.
In this context, the two sides welcomed the existing cooperation within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding between Chiyoda Company and Qatar Petroleum (QP), singed in August 2013 in the field of Qatari engineers training programme.
The two sides also welcomed the existing cooperation as per a Memorandum of Understanding between Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) and QP, signed in August 2013.
(Projects) The two sides welcomed the recent contributions by Japanese companies in different projects in the state such as Es'hailSat-2, Helium projects and Doha Metro Project and agreed to cooperate in order to increase the participation of Japanese companies.
15- The Qatari side showed great interest in the advanced agricultural method applied in Japan (Plant Factory) and expected that bilateral cooperation would be enhanced in this field. The Japanese side welcomed the Qatari side interest in this field for being a new area of cooperation between the two countries in the field of agriculture.
16- The two sides underlined their interest in expanding cooperation in the development of infrastructure projects with regard to Qatar Vision 2030 and the hosting of the 2022 World Soccer Cup finals, including the building of football stadiums, airports, a water desalination project, sewage water treatment and urban planning.
 3) Culture, Education and Exchange of Personnel (Culture and Science)
17. Due to the importance of enhancing cooperation in education and scientific research, the two sides welcomed the signing of an MoC in the fields of education, scientific research and technology.
18. The two sides welcomed the launch of Japanese language courses at Qatar University in Sept. 2014 and the start of the first phase of a three-year educational project entitled "Japanese Language Study Institute for Qatar Leaders." The two sides also welcomed the signing of three MoU between Qatar University and each of the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ), the Institute of Developing Economies (IDE) at the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), and Osaka University to boost mutual research and development activities in fields of common concern.
19. The two sides welcomed the hosting of Qatar Foundation employees at Japan's National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) for training, in a bid to promote preventive and personalized medicine.
(Exchange between the Two Peoples) 20. The two sides welcomed the decision to reciprocally exempt from entry visa Qatari and Japanese holders of diplomatic and official/special passports, which would promote the friendly and close bilateral ties between the two countries. The Qatari side voiced interest that the Japanese side grants multi-entry visa for Qatari holders of regular passports, expressing readiness to take similar measures.
21. The two sides reiterated the importance of promoting cooperation in tourism.
In this regard, they welcomed the signing of an MoC in tourism.
22. The two sides welcomed the signing of an MoC in the field of youth and sports to encourage more cooperation in this area.
The Qatari side expressed interest in learning from Japan's past experiences in hosting the Olympics and Paralympics in 2020 as well as other sports events, particularly the World Cup.
An official reception ceremony was held for HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani upon his arrival at the Japanese cabinet.