Japan and the United Nations

September 23, 2021
A commemorative photo before Foreign Minister Motegi meets with United Nations Secretary-General Guterre

On September 23, commencing at around 1:15 p.m. (local time) for approximately 20 minutes, Mr. MOTEGI Toshimitsu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, on his visit to New York, held a meeting with H.E. Mr. António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations. The overview of the meeting is as follows.

  1. At the outset, Minister Motegi congratulated Secretary-General Guterres on his reappointment and thanked him for his video message for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020. In response, Secretary-General Guterres welcomed Minister Motegi's participation in the UN General Assembly.
  2. Both sides exchanged views on responses to emerging challenges referring to the Secretary-General’s report “Our Common Agenda” and agreed on the importance of advancing this Common Agenda so that it leads to strengthening human security.
  3. On North Korea, Minister Motegi stated that Japan lodged a strong protest against North Korea over the recent launches of the ballistic missiles which are in violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions, and that North Korea's recent nuclear and missile activities pose a threat to the peace and security of the international community, appreciating that the recent launches of the ballistic missiles were discussed at the Security Council. Minister Motegi also asked for Secretary-General Guterres' understanding and cooperation on the resolution of the abductions issue, and received support from Secretary-General Guterres.
  4. Turning to the situation in Afghanistan, Minister Motegi stated that a unified message by the international community is important and that the UN has an important role in this regard. Both sides confirmed to closely collaborate to this end.

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