In Tokyo, Mr Caroni will meet with Masakazu Sekiguchi, President of the House of Councillors, and participate in an exchange with the Switzerland–Japan Parliamentary Friendship Group. Discussions will focus on the long-standing bilateral relationship, cooperation in business, research and innovation, and current international challenges, particularly in geopolitics, security architecture and the global economy. Further meetings are planned with CEOs of Swiss companies operating in Japan and senior representatives of selected Japanese investors in Switzerland. The business environment in Japan and the investment climate for Japanese firms in Switzerland will be key topics.

In Osaka, the delegation will visit Expo 2025, where Switzerland is represented by its own pavilion. The pavilion showcases innovative solutions in life sciences, environmental protection, robotics and artificial intelligence, centred on three themes: ‘Life’, ‘Planet’ and ‘Augmented Human’. The visit will also serve to strengthen Swiss-Japanese cooperation. The programme includes a visit to the Consulate of Switzerland in Osaka, Swissnex in Japan.

The first stage of the visit (25–28 August) takes the delegation to the People’s Republic of China. In Beijing, Mr Caroni will attend the official ceremony commemorating the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties and participate in a series of political discussions.

Through this visit to East Asia, the Council of States delegation will engage with two strategically important countries in the region, in line with the Federal Council’s Asia G20 Strategy of 20 June 2025, which aims to deepen bilateral relations, particularly within global economic and security frameworks.

Mr Caroni will be accompanied by members of the Office of the Council of States: First Vice President Stefan Engler (The Centre, GR), Second Vice President Werner Salzmann (SVP, BE), Council of States member and teller Mathilde Crevoisier Crelier (SP, JU), and Council of States member Petra Gössi (FDP, SZ).