Today, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan Koichi Hagiuda met following the inaugural Economic Policy Consultative Committee (EPCC, or Economic “2+2”) to discuss next steps to make progress on shared goals established through the 2+2 and other bilateral initiatives such as the Japan-U.S. Commercial and Industrial Partnership. The Secretary also expressed her gratitude to the Government of Japan for its strong support of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) and welcomed the strong leadership role that it will continue to play towards delivering high-standard outcomes that promote inclusive economic prosperity for all participating IPEF members.