Japan Offers Mexico Help in Fight Against Caribbean Sargassum

Mexico City — Japan is joining Mexico in the fight against sargassum, as the two countries’ top diplomats met Monday to deepen bilateral cooperation.

Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco Álvarez received Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi at the Foreign Ministry, where they agreed to launch a joint program to tackle the seaweed that has piled up along Caribbean coastlines.

“We will launch a joint program to address the sargassum problem that strengthens the capacities of both governments and helps mitigate the situation facing the Caribbean Sea,” Velasco said.

Under the program, Japan will contribute specialized vessels and equipment for collecting the macroalgae in open waters, according to the officials. Japan has been working with other countries in the region on similar efforts.

Economic Dialogue Relaunched

The meeting also marked the relaunch of the High-Level Economic Dialogue between Mexico and Japan, which will focus on artificial intelligence, the digital economy, economic resilience and strategic supply chains. The countries’ economy ministries will participate.

Officials created a Mexico-Japan working group to follow up on those issues.

Velasco noted that Japan is Mexico’s eighth-largest trading partner and its fourth-largest source of investment, and the top investor among Asia-Pacific economies. About 1,600 Japanese companies in Mexico generate around 350,000 jobs.

Motegi said that after a phone call in April between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico sold Japan one million barrels of crude oil that recently arrived. “Given the situation in the Middle East, we agreed to continue strengthening collaboration in the energy sector,” Motegi said.

Both ministers also agreed to promote the activities of Japanese companies in Mexico and to continue working within the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Historic Leadership

Velasco stressed the significance of both countries being led by women for the first time, under President Sheinbaum and Prime Minister Takaichi. He expressed hope for a visit by Takaichi to Mexico, calling it “a historic milestone” if both leaders meet on Mexican soil.

The ministers also prepared for upcoming anniversaries: the 130th anniversary of Japanese migration to Mexico in 2027, and in 2028 the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations and the 50th anniversary of Nagoya-Mexico City sister-city ties.

Velasco reiterated Mexico’s solidarity with Japan following earthquakes that struck Kumamoto Prefecture on July 28.

A summit on sargassum is scheduled for October in Cancún, Quintana Roo, with participation from several countries, to coordinate strategies for containing and managing seaweed biomass.