Chapter 2
Japan's Foreign Policy that Takes a Panoramic Perspective of the World Map
1.Iraq
In 2016, the Iraqi Security Forces made remarkable progress on liberating areas controlled by “The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).” The operation has been in progress since the second half of 2016 as indicated by the liberation of major cities in northern Iraq such as Ramadi (February), Heet (April), Rutba (May), and Fallujah (June). On 17 October, Prime Minister Abadi of Iraq declared starting operations to liberate Mosul, ISIL's largest stronghold, and the Iraqi Security Forces have been continuing its mop-up operations.
Although the government maintains its centripetal force with military headway against ISIL, political conflicts and tensions are continuing such as Prime Minister Abadi's incomplete cabinet restructure and the resignation of cabinet ministers due to corruption. In addition, there is still no notable progress on national reconciliation, which is one of the major issues in Iraq.
Due to the ongoing fight against terrorism in Iraq, more than three million internally displaced persons have emerged, and the need for humanitarian assistance remains extremely high. Against this backdrop, Japan decided to offer 100 million US dollars for humanitarian and stabilization assistance to Iraq in January which included the provision of food, water, and other daily necessities to refugees as well as repairing houses, and providing vocational training with the aim of assisting the return of refugees to their home and settlement.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Muto, attending the Pledging Conference in Support of Iraq (July 21, Washington DC, U.S.).
On 20 July, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoji Muto attended the Pledging Conference in Support of Iraq in Washington DC, which was hosted by the US Secretary of State Kerry with the aim of addressing the serious humanitarian crisis in Iraq, and co-chaired it with counterparts from the U.S. and Germany. Japan announced an additional 10 million US dollars of humanitarian and stabilization assistance while expressing its intention to maintain humanitarian and stabilization assistance worth approximately 100 million US dollars in 2017 and 2018 with the aim of addressing the worsening humanitarian situation in Iraq.
Currently, Iraq is confronting a serious financial situation due to factors such as the falling oil prices and the accumulating cost of war. Against this backdrop, 3.6 billion US dollars for humanitarian and stabilization assistance was collected from the G7 countries as a whole at the G7 Ise-Shima Summit which Japan held the presidency. This was to avoid destabilization of Iraq, which is at the forefront in the fight against terrorism, due to the financial crisis.
Regarding high-level visits, Iraqi Oil Minister Abdul-Mahdi visited Japan in February and had an active exchange of views with Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Motoo Hayashi, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Muto, and Japanese business representatives with the aim of strengthening bilateral relations, particularly the economic relations.