Press Conferences

Mr. MOTEGI Toshimitsu, Minister for Foreign Affairs: Firstly, during the Cabinet meeting this morning, personnel decisions related to senior officials of MOFA were approved. The official announcement is scheduled for Friday, September 10 this week. The personnel decisions on MOFA senior officials were made by considering various factors, but two factors in particular were emphasized: continuity and further development of policies as well as active appointments of women and young human resources.

The summary of the personnel decisions will be distributed to you later in paper. Just to introduce some of the main decisions, KOBAYASHI Maki, who was the head of the Public Relations Bureau of the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, has been appointed to Director-General of the Latin American and Caribbean Affairs Bureau. This is the first time we have appointed someone to a Director-General position among those who joined MOFA in 1990.

In addition, former Deputy Director-General NAGAOKA Kansuke of the Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau will assume the position of Director-General of the same Bureau. This decision was made based on his abundant experience in the Middle East and continuation of duties amidst the extremely fluid situation now in Afghanistan. Moreover, former Deputy Director-General YAMAUCHI Hiroshi of the Foreign Policy Bureau will assume the position of Director-General of the Intelligence and Analysis Service. Former Chief of Protocol KAIFU Atsushi will assume the position of Director-General of the Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Science Department. Former Deputy Assistant Minister KANO Takehiro of the Minister’s Secretariat will assume the position of Director-General of the Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs Department.

I believe the senior officials who will leave their position this time has done outstanding jobs in their respective areas of responsibility. I am grateful for their support. I expect that they will continue to be active as the faces of Japan in their future posts, such as ambassadors.

Under the new leadership, as one, MOFA will continue to exert all efforts on wide-ranging diplomacy issues. That is all from me.

Asahi Shimbun, Aibara: I would like to ask about the Eastern Economic Forum held last week in Vladivostok, Russia. After your press conference last week following the Forum, President Putin mentioned the special economic zones concept of inviting foreign companies, including Japanese companies, to the Northern Territories. Please tell us your assessment of this concept and how Japan will respond.

Minister Motegi: Firstly, President Putin stated at the Eastern Economic Forum that it is nonsense that Japan and Russia do not have a peace treaty, and declared that the peace treaty negotiations will be continued.

The Government of Japan will be persistent and continue our negotiations under the basic concept of resolving the territorial issue and concluding a peace treaty.

With regards to the point you brought up, I believe that the introduction of a preferential treatment system related to economic development of areas including the Four Northern Islands premised on Russian law, as well as widely inviting Japanese companies and third-party companies to be involved in such economic developments, conflicts with Japan’s position on the Four Northern Islands and with the objective of the joint economic activities in the Four Northern Islands which have been discussed between Japan and Russia based on the agreement between Prime Minister Abe and President Putin.

It is regrettable that the announcement you brought up was made despite the fact that Japan has repeatedly made protests to the Russian side on our position. Given the announcement by the Russian side, on September 3, Japan has made a protest on our position again.

Japan and Russia agreed to implement the joint economic activities in a manner that does not infringe on either side’s legal position. Japan will continue to constructively conduct negotiations with Russia toward implementing the joint economic activities in such a manner.

Alongside the negotiations, we will together enhance the environment for concluding a peace treaty.

Mainichi Shimbun, Miyajima: I would like to ask about the San Francisco Peace Treaty. Tomorrow marks the 70th anniversary of the signing of the San Francisco Peace Treaty, which allowed Japan to return to the international community. I believe that the policy of early reconciliation, light armament, and economic priorities formed the foundation for post-war Japan’s prosperity. Now we have entered an era that can be described as the new Cold War between the United States and China. Allow me to ask this indirect question, but could you please tell us your views on the significance of the conclusion of the peace treaty and the ideal stance Japan should take?

Minister Motegi: Tomorrow is the 70th anniversary of the conclusion of the peace treaty. Today is September 7, right? So tomorrow, September 8, will mark the 70th anniversary of the peace treaty, which I believe was a historic decision. I believe it was a major treaty in the sense that it helped Japan achieve its postwar recovery and return as a member of the international community.

Japan was able to recover its sovereignty and return to the international community by accepting the San Francisco Peace Treaty. I believe the treaty has also provided the basic framework for the postwar order to this day. It is unquestionable that postwar Japan achieved peace and prosperity within this framework.

The international order today has changed significantly since then. The Cold War structure was just about to emerge back then. But the security environment surrounding Japan now is growing increasingly severe in a different manner and structure. The international community has again entered a period of historic change at a faster pace than predicted. We can see that the power balance has become fluid in various fields such as security, advanced technology, and digital. On the other hand, the international community must cooperate and respond together to issues such as the novel coronavirus and climate change. It is a fact that issues such as these have risen to the forefront.

Anticipating such developments, Japan will widely and strategically develop “diplomacy with both tolerance and strength,” which I have been speaking about.

Japan will further lead international rule-making that could respond to the new trends of the times while adhering to international legal frameworks such as the San Francisco Peace Treaty and following various rules based on shared values which we have helped to establish.

Pan Orient News, Azhari: I would like to ask about Afghanistan. There are many Afghans who wish to leave their country after the withdrawal of American forces. Reportedly, the United States is taking I think 50,000 and other countries are taking some Afghans. Is Japan planning to take any Afghan refugees?

Minister Motegi: Afghanistan now faces various problems. Among those problems, the first priority is to ensure the safety of the local staff who wish to leave the country and to realize their departure quickly and safely. For those Afghani people who wish to enter Japan, the situations of individual people are different. We will consider and respond while taking into account those different situations. Japan will first do what we can to enable them to leave Afghanistan.

Jiji Press, Kondo: According to some reports, the two Afghani athletes who participated in the Tokyo Paralympic Games departed from Haneda Airport last night aboard a flight bound for Paris. Please tell us whether that is true, and whether the Government of Japan provided any support for their safe departure, such as coordination with accepting countries.

Minister Motegi: The Paralympic Games are mainly managed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and others. It is my understanding that the IPC provided support to help the Afghani athletes come to Japan. Please ask the IPC for details.

Pan Orient News, Azhari: I heard your talk about continuity of Japanese diplomacy by the appointment you mentioned. But you have the election of the LDP coming up soon and that would be followed by the election of the House of Representatives. That might bring considerable change in the names of those sitting in the Japanese government. How would Japanese diplomacy deal with that in terms of the issues, crucial issues you are facing on a daily bases internationally.

Minister Motegi: The LDP leadership election is scheduled to be held. Following the election, the new head of the LDP will be selected, and he or she will become the prime minister and form a cabinet. I do not believe that there will be any major change in diplomacy and security issues no matter who becomes the new head of the LDP and the prime minister.

I believe the candidates have the same recognition of the current international environment, with the Japan-U.S. Alliance serving as the linchpin of Japan’s diplomacy. I believe they also agree on advancing cooperation with various countries in different fields toward realizing a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” amidst the current changes in the power balance.

Furthermore, I believe that the basic direction of policies will not change for how to promote international cooperation to overcome the issues of climate change and above all the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) which is spreading around the world.