Enhancing Diplomatic Capacity

   Enhancing diplomatic capacity is an issue to be addressed urgently so that Japan is able to develop more potent diplomacy based on national interests and respond to the various diplomatic issues with greater functionality and accuracy. Given the awareness of these challenges, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is actively promoting efforts to increase the number of diplomatic establishments abroad as well as the number of Ministry personnel in order to improve its implementation structures, which constitute the core of diplomatic strength. Accordingly, the budget for FY2007 adopted by the Cabinet included significant improvements in both the number of diplomatic establishments abroad and the number of Foreign Ministry personnel.