CHAPTER I
Basic Tasks for
Japan's Foreign Policy
Chapter I. Basic Tasks for Japan's Foreign Policy
Contributing Actively to the International Community and Promoting Further Internationalization
1. Introduction
Today, with the advances of modern communication and transportation resulting from the remarkable progress in science and technology, the continents of the globe are no longer divided by the Pacific, Atlantic, and other oceans but have been brought together as one, and there has been a dramatic increase in personal and economic exchanges as well as in the flow of information worldwide. As a result, political, economic, and cultural developments in one region now have an increasingly important impact on other regions.
While the interdependent relations within the international community deepens in this way, qualitative and structural changes have also been generated in the international political and economic frameworks. The United States and the Soviet Union still have a decisive influence on world peace and stability by virtue of their overwhelming military power. But at the same time the international community is undergoing structural changes as seen in the relative ascendancy of Japan and Western Europe, the promotion of open-door policies by China, the striking development of the Asia-Pacific region, and the increasing voice of the Third World. With the consequent alterations in the economic structure, brought by the two oil crises and the introduction of new technologies and the qualitative changes in the international community accompanied by the advent of the advanced information society, there is a need for new responses by the international economic system centering on GATT and the IMF.
Blessed by the untiring efforts of its people and a favorable international climate, postwar Japan has achieved unprecedented economic development, and it is now on its way to becoming the world's second-largest economy and one of the principal creditor nations.
Japan should bear in mind today that it now has far more international influence, especially in the economic field, than most Japanese give it credit for. A result of our growing international influence is that there has been a sharp increase in the Japanese role and responsibilities for keeping the international economic system functioning smoothly. Commensurate with this improvement in Japan's status in the international community, moreover, Japan is expected to play an increasingly vital role in the international political arena, and Japan now has an important international responsibility to contribute actively to the preservation of world peace and prosperity.
There can be no lasting peace and prosperity for Japan without harmonious relationship with the international community, and thus it is important for Japan to actively promote, from a global perspective, its further internationalization and to become a nation more open to the world.
2. Japan's Basic Position
In promoting the diplomacy of contributing actively to world peace and prosperity, Japan has taken its basic position of being a member of free and democratic nations sharing the common political and economic ideals and of being a country in the Asia-Pacific region with close geographic, historical, and cultural bonds.
(1) Diplomacy as a Free and Democratic Nation
Japan has today consolidated its position as a stable democracy enjoying the benefits of freedom, peace and prosperity. Yet it would not have been possible to achieve this peace and prosperity without the political and economic cooperation with the United States, the West European countries, and the other free and democratic nations sharing the common values of freedom and democracy and market economies. It is crucial for Japan to promote its foreign policy while further strengthening the cooperative relations with these countries.
The Japan-U.S. Security Treaty is the foundation of Japanese security, and the closely cooperative relations with the United States are the cornerstone of Japan's foreign policy. Ensuring the smooth and effective operation of these security arrangements and enhancing the credibilities of their deterrence is, along with the improvement of Japan's own self-defense capability, indispensable to the security of the country.
Overall relations with the United States are generally good, although there are some difficulties in the economic field due to trade imbalance and other issues. It is important to further promote wide-ranging and close cooperation with the United States in a broad spectrum of fields, including the political, economic, cultural, scientific and technological, in order to make the Japan-United States relationship ever firmer.
Western Europe, another pillar of the free and democratic community of nations along with the United States, is now working for economic and political integration and is generating renewed vitality. While Japan has economic problems with the countries of Western Europe, it is important that Japan further enhance relations with these countries, not only in the economic field but also in the political, cultural, scientific and technological fields. Such enhancement is also of great significance for the development of the entire free and democratic world.
Various types of dialogues and policy consultations being promoted with these free democracies at both governmental and non-governmental levels are becoming increasingly important for further strengthening cooperative relations with them.
In seeking sustained and non-inflationary world economic growth and exchange market stability it is of utmost importance for Japan to promote policy coordination with the other free-market countries. In this sense the role of the economic summit meetings bringing the leaders of the major industrial democracies together, along with the OECD, the IMF, and other such international institutions, are of a great significance.
The Tokyo Economic Summit held in May 1986 reaffirmed the cooperation and coordination among the participating countries issuing the Tokyo Declaration that emphasized the need for international cooperation to achieve a safer and more prosperous world of freedom and peace; the Tokyo Economic Declaration appealing for strengthened policy coordination for sustained world economic growth, the promotion of structural adjustment policies from the global perspective, the halting of protectionism and the early launching of the New Round of multilateral trade negotiations, anal assistance for the developing countries; and other documents.
(2) Diplomacy as a Nation of the Asia-Pacific Region
The Asia-Pacific region overall has recently been the most dynamic region in the world and has evidenced a remarkable development, drawing global attention to its great potential for future development. It is indispensable for the security and prosperity of the entire world, or which the Asia-Pacific region is an important component, and hence for Japan's own security and prosperity, that Japan contribute to the peace and prosperity of this region taking into consideration the characteristic of the Asia-Pacific region, rich in ethnic, historical, cultural, and other diversity.
In promoting relations with the other countries of the region, it is important that Japan promote expanded relations of peace and friendship building upon one of the basic principles of Japan's Asian policy, that of learning from history and its lessons. It is thus crucial for Japan to pursue a foreign policy not only promoting relationship between the governments but also stressing people-to-people and heart-to-heart contacts.
The main issues in Japan's policy toward this area are those of continuing to promote strengthened relationship of friendship and cooperation with the other countries of the region, contributing to their economic and social stability and development, anti working to consolidate the peace and stability of the region. Speaking at the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference with the Dialogue Partners in June '86, Foreign Minister Abe summarized Japan's Asian policy in three major pillars as follows:
i. Japan's contribution as a country committed to peace.
ii. Promotion of mutual understanding through continuous dialogue and heart-to-heart exchange for the establishment of mutual trust.
iii. Establishment of a cooperative relationship between Japan and ASEAN capable of effective response to a changing environment.
With regard to Japan's relation with China, friendship and cooperation between the two countries, which are vital to peace and stability not only in Asia but in the whole world, should be maintained and developed over the long term. In relations with the Republic of Korea, along with further promoting relations of good-neighborliness, friendship and cooperation, it is important that Japan cooperate actively to promote North-South dialogue and to ensure the success of the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
It is important that Japan further support the ASEAN countries' efforts for stability and development, and, especially with regard to the Philippines, it is an urgent task to support as much as possible the efforts of her new government informing the foundation for her stability while promoting domestic reforms in an orderly fashion. Likewise, it is important for Japan to support the peace efforts of the ASEAN countries for a comprehensive political settlement of the Cambodian problem.
In addition, it is important to seek further expansion in Japan's relations of friendship and cooperation with those Oceanic countries as they increase close political and economic relations with the Asian region in recent years.
Though the Asia-Pacific region has demonstrated dynamic economic growth, export sluggishness, commodity price deterioration, anti other factors have cast a shadow over the outlook for growth in many of these countries since early 1985. It still continues to be an important task for Japan to establish anew type of the division of work through private-sector direct investment and technology transfer, to promote smooth growth of trade through import expansion of manufactured products, to promote economic and technical cooperation thus contributing to the economic development and the improvement of standards of living in these countries.
Along with cooperation in the bilateral context and the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference with the Dialogue Partners and other forums, Japan positively promotes Pacific cooperation at the private-sector level in the expectation that these efforts for regional cooperation will encourage further regional development, and hence contribute to global prosperity, toward the 21stcentury.
3. Tasks of Japan's Foreign Policy
(1) Towards a Japan More Open to the World
With the increasing interdependence of today's international community, it is unforgivable than ever that a country should act selfishly in pursuit of its own national interests, and it is impossible that any one country should prosper alone. Rather, as a responsible member of the international community, each country is expected to seek harmony with the rest of the world in implementing their domestic policies. The further promotion of internationalization in this sense and the efforts to make Japan more open to the world are urgent tasks for Japan.
Japan has already made considerable progress in its internationalization in the sense that Japanese people, products, and capital move vigorously overseas. Japan has also been generally very positive about accepting foreign cultures and products since the Meiji Restoration. Yet as Japan's importance as a member of the international community grows, it is being called upon to take the positive initiative on its own to bear the responsibilities and costs of preserving and developing the frameworks for international peace and prosperity even if this does not yield immediate benefits for Japan itself.
Just as it is indispensable for the sound development of the world economy that the Japanese society and its economy be open to the outside as Japan becomes a more important member of the increasingly interdependent international community, so is this imperative for Japan's own development.
Japan's current account surplus was approximately $50 billion last year, and the economic friction between Japan and its trading partners has grown increasingly acrimonious.
Allowing such a situation to continue could create grave complications for Japan's international relations, and it is an urgent task for Japan to become fully aware of its important position and responsibilities in the world economy, and to work actively to realize a socio-economy more harmonious with the international economic environment. These efforts are also needed to consolidate the foundations for sustained growth of the Japanese economy. Improving market access, stimulating domestic demand, and other efforts to promote import expansion broaden the choice for Japanese consumers, and adherence to the principle of free and non-discriminatory international competition promotes greater economic efficiency and vitality. Likewise, economic restructuring compatible with the development of international horizontal integration is an inescapable fact of life in promoting Japanese economic vitality in the medium-and long-term perspective. While these efforts will entail domestic difficulties, overcoming these difficulties will ensure stable Japanese economic growth for the future.
In seeking to be more open to the world, it is important for Japan to realize that this is in no way detrimental to the features that characterize Japanese society and culture, especially not to the advantages and virtues of its largely homogeneous people, and that this in turn demands that the Japanese people correctly understand the features characterizing Japan and, taking amore global perspective, be more broad-minded and tolerant as a society and a country.
Japan must, therefore, seek harmony with the rest of the world by attaining further internationalization and universality commensurate with its international status and responsibilities even in those systems or practices that have previously been acknowledged as based upon Japanese traditions and social modes and further internationalize its exchanges especially on the receiving side. At its core, this entails an element of mentality or a receptivity to foreign goods and ideas, or what may be called an "internationalization within", and this is what is important.
In promoting this internationalization, it is important that local governments, non-governmental organizations, and other groups at all levels work to increase and deepen correct mutual understanding with other countries and to develop international exchanges and international cooperation activities. The recent heightening of local government and non-governmental interest in internationalization and the international activity initiatives that they have taken are thus very welcome trends. Recently, a series of measures such as the establishment of the "Internationalization Counseling Center" and the expansion of personnel exchanges with local governments have been taken in addition to the dispatches of the ambassadors in charge to Osaka and Hokkaido and the holding of "the Foreign Ministry Comes to Town" programs. It is important that every effort be made to further support and reinforce the enthusiasm and energies of local governments, non-governmental organizations, and other groups towards internationalization.
(2) Contributing Actively to World Peace and Stability
All humankind today hopes for the consolidation of world peace and stability, yet there still exist numerous destabilizing factors threatening world peace and stability, including the threat of nuclear war, regional conflicts, and international terrorism. Contributing actively to the resolution of these problems as a responsible member of the international community is an important pillar of Japanese foreign policy.
(a) East-West Relations
In light of their basic importance to world peace and stability, continuous efforts are needed towards the stabilization of East-West relations, in particular, those between the United States and the Soviet Union. It is thus significant that the United States anal the Soviet Union held a summit meeting and were able to improve mutual understanding in November 1985. It is important for Japan to do what it can to promote the holding of a second summit in the near future in accordance with the November agreement and achieve progress in arms control negotiations and stability in East-West relations.
It is also important in building stable East-West relations that the free democracies, while maintaining credible deterrence, work to stabilize the East-West balance of power at as low a level as possible. Japan has thus been in close consultation with the United States anal other free democracies to promote substantive results in the US-USSR arms control and disarmament negotiations and other arms control negotiations so that these issues may be resolved on a global base, and has also been taking the opportunity of the Japanese-Soviet Foreign Ministers' Consultations and other occasions to urge the Soviet Union to approach these negotiations seriously and constructively.
Japan has traditionally made positive contributions to the promotion of disarmament, with special attention to nuclear disarmament, in the United Nations, the Conference on Disarmament, and the expectations are expressed in and outside of the country that Japan steps up its efforts for a comprehensive nuclear test ban, the preservation and strengthening of the nuclear non-proliferation regime, and the early realization of a ban on the use of chemical weapons.
Major Arms Control and Disarmament Negotiations
1. US-USSR Arms Control and Disarmament Negotiations
Held for the purpose of working out effective agreements aimed at preventing an arms race in space and terminating it on earth, at limiting and reducing nuclear arms, and at strengthening strategic stability.
2. Conference on Disarmament
Covering
(1) Nuclear test ban.
(2) Cessation of the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament.
(3) Prevention of nuclear war, including all related matters.
(4) Chemical weapons.
(5) Prevention of an arms race in outer space.
(6) Effective international arrangements to assure non-nuclear-weapon States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons.
(7) New types of weapons of mass destruction and new system of such weapons; radiological weapons.
(8) Comprehensive programme of disarmament.
3. The United Nations General Assembly First Committee
4. Conference on Disarmament in Europe (CDE)
5. Mutual and Balanced Forces Reduction in Central Europe (MBFR)
It is also important that Japan promotes dialogue with the Eastern-bloc countries. In January 1986, Soviet Foreign Minister Shevardnadze visited Japan to hold the first Japanese-Soviet Foreign Ministers' Consultations in eight years and resume negotiations on the Japan-Soviet peace treaty, including the territorial issue. In May, Foreign Minister Abe visited the Soviet Union continuing the peace treaty negotiations including the territorial issue as resumed in January with Foreign Minister Shevardnadze and meeting with General Secretary Gorbachev thus seeking to consolidate the dialogue process between the two countries. However, the Northern Territories issue remains unresolved, and Japan must continue to work tenaciously firmly maintaining its unmovable policy objective of resolving the territorial issue and concluding the peace treaty so as to put Japan-Soviet relations on a truly firm foundation.
(b) Regional Conflicts
Regional conflicts, tensions, and disputes exist all over the world. While the confrontations on the Korean Peninsula, or in Cambodia, Afghanistan, between Iran-Iraq, the Middle East, Central America, or South Africa, still remain regional, they are major sources of instability for world peace involving the danger of escalating into conflicts directly involving the two superpowers of the United States and the Soviet Union.
It is important that Japan makes every possible effort to keep these conflicts from escalating and to promote their early resolution. Conflicts in Asia deserve special attention for their potential impact upon Japan's own peace and security. Japan therefore welcomes the moves for North-South dialogue on the Korean Peninsula and is working for the creation of a climate conducive to the attainment of lasting peace there. With regard to the Cambodian problem, Japan has been making positive efforts to help foster an environment conducive to peace by announcing its four principles for the solution of this conflict and advocating dialogue for coexistence.
(c) International Terrorism
Recently there has been a spate of hijackings, assassinations, bombings, and other international terrorist activities claiming victims among innocent members of the public. State involvement in this terrorism has become an issue of major concern. International terrorism is by no means permissible since it is not only an affront to the dignity of humanity and a threat to civil peace anal safety, but also a threat to democratic societies and world peace. There is an urgent need to further strengthen international cooperation for its prevention. In this respect the Tokyo Summit issued "Statement on International Terrorism."
At the same time, it is now more important than ever for the government to be well prepared to protect Japanese nationals overseas in case of emergency so that they can go about their work in safety.
(d) International Cooperation
Forty years have passed since the foundation of the United Nations as an organization for international cooperation, and the United Nations has achieved a degree of success in regional peacekeeping efforts, facilitating development of the developing countries, and many other fields. However, it has yet to achieve its originally envisaged aim of peacekeeping functions and an umber of problems have recently been pointed out, including bloating and inefficiency in the Organization as such.
It is highly essential, in ensuring that the United Nations remains an ever effective organization for international cooperation, that Japan, as the second-largest financial contributor to the United Nations only after the United States, devote herself to encourage United Nations administrative and budgetary review with a view to revitalizing its functions. A manifestation of Japan's such active involvement in the United Nations is the Group of High Level Inter-Governmental Experts established last year at the suggestion of Foreign Minister Abe to increase the efficiency of the Organization. This year being both the 30th anniversary of Japan's admission to the United Nations and the International Year of Peace, it is imperative that Japan actively promote multilateral diplomacy in the United Nations in particular and other forums for world peace and prosperity.
In the wake of an accident at the Soviet Chernobyl nuclear power plant in April 1986, the Tokyo Summit issued a statement concerning the importance of international cooperation for ensuring nuclear safety. This accident, which had transboundary implications, highlighted anew the importance of international cooperation from the global perspective in the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Spurred by the disaster of the earthquakes in Mexico and the volcanic eruption in Columbia in late 1985, Japan has made considerable progress in building up its international disaster relief scheme including the establishment of the Japan Rescue Team for Disaster Relief. Such active and flexible support for disaster-stricken countries is an important part of the efforts to ensure that Japan's international cooperation is truly effective and appreciated.
(3) Promoting Global Prosperity and Development
With Japan's increasing influence in world trade, investment, financing, and the like, Japan is inevitably expected to play a greater role for the maintenance of the international economic system. It is imperative, not only for Japan's own prosperity and development but for world prosperity and development, that Japan transcend narrow national interests and act for the smoother functioning of the international economic system as a whole.
(a) Contributing to the Sound Development of the World Economy
The year 1985 was a year of increasingly harsh economic friction with Japan's trading partners as Japan recorded major current account surpluses. The outlook for the world economy overall was bright as it entered its third year of expansion, inflation seemed under control, interest rates were coming down, and the outlook for growth in the industrialized countries was improved. At the same time, however, there were still many problems in the world economy, including the fiscal deficits, current account imbalances, serious unemployment, and heightening protectionist pressures, and there was uncertainty about future trends in both currency and oil markets.
Given this situation, the participating countries and the EC representatives at the Tokyo Summit held candid exchanges of views and announced the Tokyo Economic Declaration calling for a further strengthening of international policy coordination for sustained non-inflationary growth and exchange rate stability and reaffirming the importance of promoting structural adjustment. This declaration also took account of the export needs of commodity-dependent developing countries and declared that international cooperation should be continued in order to assist African countries' efforts towards their own economic recovery and development.
The most urgent issue facing the world economy today is that of stemming the rising tide of protectionism throughout the world and maintaining and strengthening the global free-trade system. All countries must take the initiative in further opening their markets and improving access, and success in the New Round of multilateral trade negotiations now in preparation is indispensable. It is important that Japan, while continuing to work vigorously on promoting preparations for the start of the New Round negotiations in September 1986, make every effort to see that these negotiations are fruitful.
Since the adoption of the Action Program for Improved Market Access in July 1985, Japan has worked for advanced implementation of the measures contained in the Program, and has made a major effort to maintain the trend of high-yen value and to stimulate domestic demand through such means as utilization of private-sector vitality.
As noted in the Outline of the Procedures for Promotion of Economic Structural Adjustment adopted in May, 1986, based upon the April recommendations of the Advisory Group on Economic Structural Adjustment for International Harmony, it is extremely important in promoting international harmony that Japan achieve economic growth led by domestic demand and transform its industrial structure into more harmonious one with the international economic environment.
It is also necessary to further promote direct overseas investment for its contribution to creating employment opportunities in the host countries and rectifying current account imbalances.
On the international monetary system, some success has been seen in international policy coordination for the exchange rate realignment since the September 5, 1985, meeting of the finance ministers and central bankers from the United States, Japan, West Germany, the United Kingdom, and France (the Group of Five or G-5), and there was agreement at the April 1986 IMF Interim Committee, the May 1986 Tokyo Summit, and other for a on strengthening international surveillance of national policies. It is important that Japan take an active part in such efforts for international coordination.
Japan is today a world leader in robotics, new materials, biotechnology, and other frontier fields, and positive Japanese cooperation in these sciences and technologies through such means as scientific and technological cooperation on governmental basis, technology transfer accompanying direct investment, technical tie-ups among companies, and other modalities is important in responding to other countries' needs for the 21st century and contributing to the revitalization of the world economy.
(b) Cooperating for the Developing Countries' Stability and Development
Cooperation for the developing countries' economic and social development is important not only from the humanitarian standpoint but also in contributing to the stability and development of the country or region concerned and hence in the long run to world peace and prosperity. Promoting such cooperation is the most appropriate and important international responsibility for Japan, a country being on its way to becoming the second-largest economy in the world, a country of peace, and a country highly dependent on exogeneous factors.
Most developing countries are now beset with such economic difficulties as accumulated external debts, depressed commodity prices, and slower economic growth. Furthermore, there are still over 10 million refugees in the world, and many countries, especially in Africa are plagued by drought and famine.
In such circumstances, it is imperative that the Government of Japan continue to steadily expand its official development assistance (ODA) to the developing countries and make further efforts for the full implementation of the Third Medium-Term Target set in September 1985. At the same time, in view of Japan's own financial difficulties, it is increasingly important that Japanese assistance be effectively and efficiently implemented, and Japan must make every possible effort to ensure that its aid provides truly effective support to the economic and social progress and improved public welfare in the recipient countries.
It is also a task of Japan to further strengthen such cooperation as financial and food aid for refugees and realize the "Green Revolution for Africa" to contribute to the radical fight against drought and famine.
Yet aid alone is not enough. It is extremely important for Japan to develop a relationship with the developing world based upon a new division of labour by further opening its markets to products from the developing countries and promoting private direct overseas investment and its accompanying technology transfer. It is now more imperative than ever that Japan conceptualize its cooperation with the developing countries in this broader framework and strengthen its efforts overall.
Official Development Assistance (ODA) (1985)
Japan has outstanding technological capabilities across the entire spectrum from basic to applied technologies, and the developing countries have great hopes for technology transfer from Japan. In order to contribute to the developing countries' human resources development and nation-building programs, it is thus important that Japan further promote technical cooperation on governmental level and also create a climate conducive to the transfer of technology owned by the private sector in line with the needs of the recipient countries.
The problem of accumulated external debts is a destabilizing factor not only to the economies of the debtor countries but in the entire international financial system. This is especially true now that the recent collapse in oil prices has severely exacerbated the debt problems of some heavily indebted oil-producing countries. While resolving this debt issue obviously requires self-help efforts by the debtor countries, Japan is being called upon to cooperate actively with the other creditor countries and international institutions and to step up its support to the debtor countries.
(4) Ensuring Japan's Security
Ensuring a country's security is the basic aim of its diplomacy. Indeed, only when it is free of anxiety about its security it is possible for a country to act vigorously in search of peace and disarmament or to contribute to world prosperity and development. In this light, ensuring the country's security comes before all other diplomatic activity.
It is merely grim reality that peace in the international community today rests ultimately upon balance of power and mutual deterrence. It is thus only natural that Japan should make constant efforts to ensure its own peace and security by deterring any potential threats before they materialize. As seen in the persistent quantitative and qualitative buildup of Soviet forces and their increasingly active deployment in regions adjacent to Japan, the international situation as it impinges upon Japan has become increasingly harsh and Japan must make increased efforts to ensure its own security.
Japan is thus working to this end by firmly maintaining the security arrangements with the United States, with which it shares the fundamental values of freedom and democracy, improving its moderate yet effective defense capability, and continuing active diplomatic efforts to create a stable international climate.
Firstly, the security arrangements with the United States, whose capability to deter all kinds of aggression remains indispensable to Japan, continue to be of cardinal importance to Japanese security. Efforts to ensure that these arrangements function smoothly and effectively and to enhance their credibility are essential to Japanese security.
Accordingly, Japan maintains close consultations with the United States on defense issues and promote defense cooperation as epitomized by the joint-studies, under the Guidelines for Japan-United States Defense Cooperation, joint exercises, and the Detailed Arrangement for military technology transfer to the United States. To ensure the effective function of US forces in Japan, which is the foundation of these security arrangements, the Government of Japan is making every effort to bring about a better understanding among the local communities of the need for facilities such as an airfield for night landing practice of carrier aircraft and family housing for its personnel. It is only through these efforts to maintain the security arrangements with the United States that Japan can ensure prosperity for its people and defend its democracy based upon freedom of and respect for the individual.
Secondly, Japan is making efforts to improve its moderate yet effective defense capability under its peace Constitution in line with the basic defense policies of maintaining an exclusively defensive posture, not becoming such a military power as might threaten its neighbors, and adhering to the three non-nuclear principles and the rule of civilian control. In September 1985, the Mid-Term Defense Program for FY'86 - '90 was approved by the Cabinet to achieve the defense capability levels set forth in the National Defense Program Outline. Along with the security arrangements with the United States, the improvement in Japan's defense capability contributes not only to its own security but consequently to the security of the free democracies in the military balance between East and West and hence to the peace and stability of Asia and the world.
Thirdly, Japan's security necessarily depends upon peace and stability of the region to which it belongs. The various active diplomatic efforts in search of world peace and stability described herein are ultimately part and parcel of the endeavor to create a peaceful and stable international climate, and they must be pursued with perseverance in the months and years ahead.
Given the very fluid and problem-laden international situation, Japan has grave international responsibilities for building a better world anal providing hope for future generations in the coming new century.
With this in mind, Japan, as a responsible member of today's increasingly interdependent international community, must vigorously promote further internationalization and deploy an active foreign policy with creativity.