“Our countries have more to gain from integration than from protectionist practices,” the Brazilian president asserted during his visit.

“We don’t want a second Cold War; we want free trade so that we can definitively establish democracy, economic growth, and wealth distribution in our countries,” da Silva declared in a context marked by the new tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.

The tariffs imposed on a large portion of imports to the United States affect global trade, but da Silva called for avoiding the protectionism of previous decades with unity and invited Japan to invest in Brazil, calling it a safe harbor.

In reponse, Ishiba pledged to firmly push for more fluid bilateral trade and investment.

Emperors Naruhito and Masako of Japan received the Brazilian president on Tuesday and held a banquet in his honor at the Imperial Palace.

From Japan, da Silva will travel to Vietnam for an official visit, which will take place on Thursday.

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