Japan's PM to meet President Macron, visit Notre-Dame cathedral

French President Emmanuel Macron and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are due to visit the construction site of Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris this Monday.

Japan's PM Fumio Kishida is set to begin a tour of Europe and North America on Monday in Paris to meet his counterparts from other G7 countries, of which Japan took over the presidency this year.

Emmanuel Macron and his host will visit Notre-Dame before a working dinner at the Elysée Palace focusing on the challenges of the G7 presidency and the "exceptional partnership" between the two countries.

According to the Elysée, "As a symbol of this common will to rebuild in the face of adversity, this visit will allow the exceptional French know-how in the field of heritage to be presented."

This is the first time Emmanuel Macron has invited a foreign leader to the site.

The reconstruction work on Notre-Dame is being actively pursued with the aim of reopening the cathedral to the public in 2024.

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'Partnership in the Indo-Pacific region'

Macron will also express France's "full support for the Japanese presidency" of the G7 and his "attachment to the G7's action in support of Ukraine" in the face of Russian aggression.

The two leaders will reportedly review bilateral cooperation in energy, defence, emerging technologies and culture.

They will also discuss their "partnership in the Indo-Pacific region" where France – with seven territories – intends to strengthen its ambitions and strategic cooperation.

After Paris, Kishida will travel to Rome on 10 January, London on 11 January and the Canadian capital Ottawa on 12 January, before meeting US President Joe Biden in Washington on 13 January.

The next G7 summit is scheduled for May in Hiroshima, western Japan.