Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara at a regular press conference (January 14, 2011, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Tokyo, Japan)
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Providing Information to the Public and the Internationalization of Japan’s Local Society |
In implementing foreign policies, gaining understanding and support from the public is crucial. Accordingly, it is essential to give timely and lucid explanation on such subjects as the specific contents of foreign policies and the role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. To that end, the Ministry strives to communicate accurate information through various media, including newspapers, magazines, TV and the Internet.
In addition to daily press conferences held by the Foreign Minister, State Secretaries for Foreign Affairs and the Press Secretary, statements by the Foreign Minister and the Press Secretary as well as press releases are made available to the public. On top of these means of information transmission, the Ministry’s three political-level appointees led by the Foreign Minister appear on TV and in other media as much as possible to communicate Japan’s foreign policies directly to the public.
The Ministry updates its website (http://www.mofa.go.jp) constantly to provide accurate information in speedy and user-friendly manner. On the occasion of the 2010 Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in Japan, the Ministry established an official site “APEC JAPAN 2010” and set up its official channel on a video-sharing website for video transmission, by so doing the Ministry exerted efforts to distribute information in the way that the public can easily access. “Foreign Minister’s Section”, which was inaugurated on the Ministry website in December 2010, vividly introduces the Minister’s activities through video-clips, maps, and the like. As the Ministry attaches importance to distributing information in multiple languages, it provides information not only in English on its website but in other local languages as well on the websites of Japanese diplomatic missions in the countries where those languages are spoken.
The Foreign Minister presents speeches at several venues throughout Japan as part of a “public relations through dialogue with citizens”, while Ministry officials present lectures and debate sessions at universities and senior high schools nationwide. The Ministry launched the foreign affairs journal entitled Diplomacy in September 2010 with the aim of sparking up discussions regarding diplomacy. The Ministry is also working to improve two-way communication with the public through activities such as gathering comments and opinions through its website and conducting public opinion surveys.
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Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara at a regular press conference (January 14, 2011, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Tokyo, Japan) |
In its efforts to ensure accountability to the Japanese people, the Ministry has been disclosing diplomatic records and information, while giving due consideration to relation of mutual trust with other countries. In June 2010, the Ministry formed the Committee for the Promotion of Declassification of the Diplomatic Historical Records with participation of some experts and has since been working to facilitate speedy declassification of records that were preserved for more than thirty years. Local governments and communities play a major role in fostering good international relations across a wide range of fields. In recent years, local governments, organizations, and citizens have been actively engaged in diverse activities that are earning a high degree of recognition in the international community. Local governments and communities are playing an extremely important role as diplomatic actors promoting international mutual understanding, building trust-based relationships, and strengthening the Japan brand.
The Ministry regards local governments and communities as major partners in promoting diplomacy, and it aims to work with them to direct all-Japan efforts toward enhancing the country’s comprehensive diplomatic capacity. The Ministry implements various cooperative measures with local governments and other concerned parties to achieve those goals, placing particular emphasis on (1)strengthening information sharing and communications, (2)jointly promoting major diplomatic policies together with local governments and communities, and (3)cooperating with international measures taken by local governments and communities . Through these steps, the Ministry hopes to help revitalize local regions and contribute to resolving the problems facing local governments and communities.
Meanwhile, it is important for the Government of Japan to address the increasing number of foreign nationals entering and residing in Japan. The number of foreign nationals entering Japan reached about 9.44 million in 2010, nearly twice the level of 2000 (about 5.27 million). The number of foreign nationals residing in Japan for a long-term (registered foreign nationals) was about 2.19 million at the end of 2009, which is about 1.3 times the level in 2000 (about 1.69 million).
Visas are issued at Japanese embassies and consulates-generals to foreign nationals with no probable harms to immigration control. In principle, foreign nationals entering Japan with visas must undergo an immigration inspection at the ports of entry into Japan and show valid passports and visas. In response to the above-mentioned increase of foreign nationals visiting Japan, the Ministry is working to expedite visa issuance to individuals entering Japan for business or tourism with no probable harm to immigration control. On the other hand, the Ministry conducts stringent screening for visa applications in cases of any suspected illegal employment or human rights violations of foreign nationals. In addition to visa for Chinese group tourists, visas for Chinese individual tourists have been issued since July 2009.I In July 2010, visa requirements for Chinese individuals tourists have been relaxed, in line with the government initiative to establish Japan as a tourism-oriented country. Against the backdrop of this, the total number of visas issued from July through December 2010 reached 35,578, a 4.6 hold increase compared to the same period in the previous year.
The Ministry has begun issuing a “Visa for Medical Stay in Japan” from January 2011 realizing objectives set out in the New Growth Strategy approved by the Japanese Cabinet in June 2010, to make it easier for foreign nationals to visit Japan for medical treatment purposes.
As the number of long-term foreign residents in Japan increases, various problems are emerging in such fields as education, employment, and housing. To address these issues, the Ministry has been holding international symposiums and workshops together with local governments, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and other bodies since 2005.
