Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has arrived in Japan for a four-day visit. The Brazilian leader’s long trip is largely related to trade negotiations. The West is trying to reduce China’s influence on Brazil, and Lula da Silva needs to find the key to economic growth in the face of falling confidence ratings. Otherwise, he may face an unsuccessful outcome in the 2026 elections.
About 100 representatives of big business and government officials arrived with the Brazilian president. Not only a lot of money and contracts are at stake, but also a political component. In recent years, Brazil has increasingly relied on China.
So far, the economic situation of the largest Latin American country leaves much to be desired. In many ways, this has predetermined difficult times for the Brazilian president. His approval rating, according to Datafolha polls, dropped to 24%, an all–time low in three presidential terms.
The coming to power of Donald Trump in the United States did not exactly add positivity to Lula da Silva. The American president imposed duties on steel imports. Brazil is the second largest metal exporter to the United States after Canada. It is necessary to search for new partner countries. It is possible that Japan will buy more. She is interested not only in metals, but also in agricultural products, as well as aircraft supplies – Brazil has a fairly powerful aviation industry.
It is worth noting that Lula da Silva is not idle. He is active, in particular, in the BRICS fields. But so far it doesn’t help much. Brazil is predicted to stagnate. Meanwhile, the president’s low rating is very encouraging for supporters of Jair Bolsonaro and opposition forces. And the general elections are coming soon – they will be held next year.
In Tokyo on Tuesday, Lula will meet with Japanese Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace and have dinner with the monarch. Before that, he will hold talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
The importance of the visit to the Asian country, the third in Lula’s political career, is evidenced both by its length, as well as by the busy schedule and the representativeness of the participants. He previously visited Hiroshima in 2023, and in May 2024, former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited Brazil.
“Lula attaches great importance to the beginning of the visit to Japan, linking it with the upcoming trip to Vietnam. This is evidenced even by the composition of the government delegation, which includes the ministers of agriculture, energy, environment (the main areas of the country’s foreign economic activity), as well as current and former speakers of both houses of the Brazilian parliament. Japan also highly appreciates the visit: there will be an audience with the imperial couple and dinner at the Imperial Palace, which means the highest level of the visit,” said Lyudmila Okuneva, Professor at MGIMO of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In a conversation with NG, the expert stressed that Lula’s main task now is to find alternatives to the trade and tariff war announced by US President Donald Trump, which seriously complicates the economic situation and Brazil’s foreign trade. The government considers the development of the Asian direction of Brazil’s economic diplomacy to be very relevant, as it sees the diversification of foreign trade necessary in modern conditions and a promising replacement for the orientation towards the American market.
“In this regard, negotiations are underway on the supply of beef to Japan, the most important item of Brazilian exports. In addition, taking into account the stalled ratification of the Mercosur–EU treaty, Lula intends to discuss the possibility of concluding such an agreement with Japan,” says Okuneva.
In addition to the economic component, Lula da Silva and Isiba will discuss security issues, according to media reports. The parties also have plans to develop bilateral visits on an ongoing basis – every two years.
