Macron meets Japanese business and banking leaders

French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday met with Japanese banking and business leaders during his visit to Tokyo at the start of the pandemic-delayed Olympics.

Macron met with Masayuki Hyodo, CEO of the SUMITOMO trading house, Makoto Takashima, CEO of SMBC Bank and President of the Japanese Banking Federation as well as Makoto Uchida, CEO of Nissan.

Nissan is part of the Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance.

Macron stressed France's handling of the multiple crises of recent years, saying his administration "never flip-flopped" on the measures it put in place in efforts to deal with challenges from protests to the pandemic.

Earlier in the day, Macron met with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, where the leaders agreed to cooperate in a wide range of areas including defense, climate change and the economy.

Macron and Suga also agreed to share Japan’s experiences for the 2024 games, which will be held in Paris.

On Friday, Macron attended the opening ceremony. He is scheduled to depart Tokyo on Saturday evening.

IMAGE: AP