On May 20, Prime Minister ISHIBA Shigeru held a meeting with H.E. Mr. Rumen RADEV, President of the Republic of Bulgaria, who is currently visiting Japan. During the meeting, the two leaders affirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation across a wide range of fields, including security and economic affairs. Following the summit, both leaders signed the “Joint Statement on the Establishment of a Strategic Partnership between Japan and the Republic of Bulgaria,” thereby elevating the bilateral relationship to a new Strategic Partnership.
(Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs website: https://www.mofa.go.jp/erp/c_see/bg/pageite_000001_00001.html)

Article 23 of “Pillar 2: Economy, Business, Research and Development, Innovation” in the joint statement highlights the interdepartmental exchange agreement between the Center for Computational Sciences (CCS) at University of Tsukuba and Big Data for Smart Society Institute (GATE) at Sofia University. The statement affirms the two countries’ intent to further promote cooperation in industry, technology, and science.

The CCS remains committed to advancing collaborative research with GATE, particularly in the field of meteorology—an area vital to the development of smart cities and smart societies. This collaboration will include joint research, information sharing, and personnel exchanges, all aimed at contributing to societal progress.

For more information about the MOU signing ceremony with GATE, please visit the following link:
https://www.ccs.tsukuba.ac.jp/news240430e/