World Trade Organization (WTO)
Foreign Minister Iwaya’s Talks with Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO)
February 20, 2025
On February 20, Mr. IWAYA Takeshi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, during his visit to Johannesburg, South Africa, to attend the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, had brief talks with Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The overview of the talks is as follows.
- Foreign Minister IWAYA stated that the importance of the WTO as the cornerstone of free trade is increasing, and that Japan will continue to support the WTO.
- In response, Director-General Okonjo-Iweala expressed her gratitude for Japan's consistent support to the WTO system.
- Both sides affirmed that, in light of the current international situation, they will work even more closely together to maintain and strengthen the multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core.