Macron Touts Europe’s Predictability in Tokyo, Signs New Japan Cooperation Deals

Overview

• Speaking in Tokyo on Wednesday, Macron praised Europe’s reliability and implicitly rebuked President Trump’s Middle East strategy for jolting allies tied to global energy flows.
• After talks with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Wednesday, the leaders backed safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and called for a ceasefire and calm to restore oil shipments.
• Japan, which gets about 95% of its crude from the Middle East, has tapped strategic reserves to blunt price spikes as the de facto closure of Hormuz strains fuel supplies.
• France is pitching a coalition of willing countries to help secure and reopen Hormuz once fighting stops, with the idea under discussion rather than agreed.
• Tokyo and Paris signed new roadmaps on access to critical minerals and on defense ties, showcased joint space projects such as debris cleanup, and set the stage for deeper tech and energy cooperation.