Japan PM Takaichi Calls Sheinbaum; Proposes Economic Security Framework and Energy Cooperation

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi held a roughly 20-minute telephone summit with President Sheinbaum on April 21, the first direct leader-to-leader call between the two countries in 2026. Takaichi proposed establishing a bilateral framework for economic security discussions — covering supply chains, critical minerals, semiconductor access, and Japan's interests in Mexico's nearshoring industrial expansion in the context of USMCA rules-of-origin obligations. The two leaders also agreed to boost cooperation to ensure the stable supply of energy amid Middle East tensions disrupting global oil transport and driving up prices — a strategically important exchange given Mexico's position as a major oil exporter and Japan's dependence on Middle Eastern crude. Mexico's Plan México industrial strategy explicitly targets Japanese manufacturers as priority nearshoring partners given their existing footprint in the automotive and electronics sectors in Guanajuato, Aguascalientes, and Monterrey. Japan is Mexico's sixth-largest bilateral trade partner and has major automotive investments through Toyota, Nissan, Honda, and Mazda. The call followed Sheinbaum's landmark diplomatic week — the GPM Barcelona summit restoring Mexico-Spain relations and the USMCA Round 2 talks with USTR Greer — signaling sustained presidential engagement with major trade partners.