Foreign Minister Taro Kono met with Foreign Minister Aurelien Agbenonci of the West African nation of Benin, in Tokyo on the night of June 20. They agreed to cooperate for a success of a Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) meeting to be held in Yokohama City next year. They also signed a document regarding food aid to Benin.

During the meeting, the two foreign ministers shared the view that it is important for North Korea to make specific actions for the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Agbenonci has expressed his support for Japan’s bid for a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council in its election to be held in 2022.