Japan-United States of America Relations
Japan-U.S. Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
February 11, 2022
On February 11, commencing at 12:25 p.m. (local time; 10:25 a.m. on February 11, Japan time), for 55 minutes, Mr. HAYASHI Yoshimasa, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, who is visiting Australia, to attend the Japan-Australia-India-U.S. Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, held a Japan-U.S. Foreign Ministers’ Meeting with the Honorable Antony Blinken, Secretary of State of the United States of America. The overview of the meeting is as follows.
- At the outset, the two ministers welcomed that Japan and the United States have held a series of high-level consultations such as the Summit Video Teleconference Meeting, the “2+2”, and the two Foreign Ministers’ Telephone Talks since the beginning of the year, and concurred to continue close communication and steadily advance the Japan-U.S. relation.
- The two ministers concurred to continue close coordination between Japan and the Untied States and deepen cooperation with like-minded countries such as Australia, India, ASEAN and Europe toward realizing a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific”.
- The two ministers exchanged their views on regional issues.
- (1) The two ministers strongly opposed unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force in the East and South China Seas and economic coercion, and concurred to continue close coordination between Japan and the United States in addressing various issues related to China.
- (2) The two ministers shared serious concern about North Korea’s nuclear and missile activities, and concurred to continue close coordination between Japan and the United States as well as among Japan, the United States and the Republic of Korea, including on the occasion of the Japan-U.S.-ROK Foreign Ministers’ Meeting scheduled to be held in Hawaii on February 12.
- (3) The two ministers reaffirmed that they have monitored with grave concern Russia’s military build-up in the areas near the border with Ukraine and consistently supported the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and that they would continue close coordination between Japan and the United States.
- The two ministers, in light of the increasingly severe regional security environment, concurred that it is essential to strengthen the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-U.S. Alliance and to continue close coordination between Japan and the United States.
- The two ministers exchanged their views on “New Form of Capitalism” and “Build Back Better” that Prime Minister Kishida and President Biden promote respectively, and concurred that they will deepen discussion on economic policies of both in the future, utilizing the ministerial Japan-U.S. Economic Policy Consultative Committee (the Economic “2+2”). In addition, Minister Hayashi urged the United States to return to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
- The two ministers concurred that they will arrange accordingly for President Biden’s visit to Japan on the occasion of the Japan-Australia-India-U.S. Summit Meeting to be held in Japan in the first half of the year, building upon the conversation between Prime Minister Kishida and President Biden at the recent Summit Video Teleconference Meeting.