Press Conferences

Mr. IWAYA Takeshi, Minister for Foreign Affairs: Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan has now started. I myself held a series of meetings, on April 11, starting with Foreign Minister of Luxembourg, who is visiting Japan to participate in the Expo, followed by meetings with the Foreign Ministers of Honduras and Colombia yesterday on April 14.

Later, this evening, I am scheduled to hold the Second Ministerial Level Meeting of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Initiative (CSPI) with H.E. Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Special Envoy of UAE to Japan.

At the meeting, we will confirm bilateral cooperation in wide range of fields including politics, economics, energy sector including renewable energy, space, advanced technology, and education. We will also reaffirm further strengthening of the bilateral relations between our two countries through the Expo as well.

That is all from me at the outset.

Jiji Press, Chiba: Ambassador Armitage, Former Deputy Secretary of State of the U.S. has passed away. I believe you met with him in January. Please share your thoughts with us.

Minister Iwaya: I was very shocked since I had just seen Ambassador Armitage in January, as you mentioned. I am deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Ambassador Armitage. Earlier, I issued a message of condolence.

Ambassador Armitage possessed profound insight into U.S. policy toward Japan and dedicated himself to strengthening the Japan-U.S. Alliance for a long time. Furthermore, he made an immense contribution to promoting bipartisan understanding of Japan in the U.S.

I have met with Ambassador Armitage on numerous occasions, and each time, I have had the opportunity to exchange various views with him. I am deeply shocked by the sudden news of his passing. When I saw him in January, he was in a wheelchair, but he appeared to be very healthy, which makes it all the more saddening.

Through his service as Deputy Secretary of State and in various other key government positions, as well as his subsequent activities, Ambassador Armitage worked closely with Japan to promote U.S. diplomacy toward Japan. I believe his efforts made a significant contribution to the strong Japan-U.S. Alliance we enjoy today.

I would like to once again express my deep respect for his tireless efforts and extend my heartfelt condolences. I would also like to express my sincere condolences to the bereaved family.

Yomiuri Shimbun, Kamimura: My question is related to your opening remarks. It was also asked at last week’s press conference. Now that the Expo has begun and related diplomatic events are being scheduled, how confident are you feeling about Expo diplomacy at this time? In addition, could you tell us about what the plans look like for meetings between leaders and foreign ministers?

Minister Iwaya: Several countries sent minister-class officials to Japan around the opening ceremony on April 12. As I stated at the outset, I was able to hold meaningful meetings with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Bettel of Luxembourg, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Reina of Honduras, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sarabia of Colombia, respectively. As I also mentioned at the outset, I am scheduled to have a meeting later with Minister Jaber of UAE. In terms of expo diplomacy, it has just started and will continue for as many as 180 days. I would like to take this opportunity to meet many counterparts as much as possible.

In addition, I understand that Prime Minister Ishiba also held a substantial meeting today with President Berdimuhamedov of Turkmenistan, who is visiting Japan to attend the first National Day of the Expo.

With National Days scheduled almost every day during the Expo, dignitaries are expected to visit Japan from the respective countries. I am scheduled to hold a meeting with His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Tupouto’a ’Ulukalala, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for His Majesty’s Armed Forces of Tonga tomorrow and with Minister for Foreign Affairs Andall of Grenada the day after tomorrow.

My plans beyond that are now being coordinated. I intend to continue to actively hold meetings with various counterparts who will be visiting Japan and strengthen Japan’s cooperative and collaborative relations with various countries.

NHK, Yonezu: Minister of Defense Nakatani announced that Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) vessels will make a port call at the Ream Naval Base in Cambodia, beginning from the 19th of this month. Regarding the base, expansion work was completed with support from China, and some have expressed concerns about China’s use of the base for military purposes. Could you share with us the significance of the Japanese vessels’ port call and your thoughts on it, as well as its meaning and significance in the context of regional affairs?

Minister Iwaya: MSDF vessels are scheduled to make a port call at the Ream Naval Base in the Kingdom of Cambodia from April 19 to 22.

Cambodia is an important partner for Japan in realizing a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP).” Cambodia was also the first among the ASEAN countries to express support for this concept. I am aware that this port call will be carried out as part of the efforts to realize FOIP, based on the relationship of trust between Japan and Cambodia.

Furthermore, we understand that Cambodia has repeatedly stated that it would like to make the Ream Naval Base open to all countries. We expect that this port call by MSDF vessels will contribute to turning this base into one that is open to the world, as the Cambodian side has also indicated.

Kyodo News, Sakaguchi: I would like to ask about the tariff measures imposed by the U.S. Trump administration. Prime Minister Ishiba held telephone talks with Prime Minister Starmer of the UK on April 10 and with Prime Minister Wong of Singapore yesterday. It has been announced that the tariff measures of the Trump administration were discussed at both of the telephone talks. What is your view on the importance of working together multilaterally in response to the U.S. tariff measures? Since Minister Akazawa will be visiting the U.S. shortly, I would appreciate if you could speak a little bit about this. I would also like to ask whether Japan will continue seeking to work together with other countries that face common challenges. Thank you.

Minister Iwaya: I believe it also depends on how you interpret the term “work together.”

The series of tariff measures, which can be called restrictive trade measures, that the U.S. Government has introduced will have a significant impact not only on the economic relationship between Japan and the U.S., but also more broadly on the global economy and the multilateral trading system as a whole.

Based on the instructions given by the Prime Minister, Japan will conduct a detailed examination of the tariff measures and make a thorough analysis of their potential impact. Japan will continue to promote close coordination and cooperation among the relevant ministries and agencies to push ahead with efforts, including strongly urging the U.S. Government to reconsider the measures.

I am aware that Minister Akazawa in charge of the negotiations will be departing for the U.S. shortly.

For the negotiations, we view that it is extremely important to communicate with like-minded and friendly countries, which you just mentioned. I believe it is from this viewpoint that Prime Minister Ishiba held telephone talks with Prime Minister Starmer of the UK last week and with Prime Minister Wong of the Republic of Singapore, respectively. I understand that discussions were held from a broad perspective, taking into account how the recent U.S. tariff measures may impact the world economy and the trading system.

We intend to continue to address this issue by considering what serves Japan’s national interest and what would be most effective among all the available options.

TV Asahi, Iida: I would like to ask about the construction of the Futenma Replacement Facility (FRF). In 2020, the U.S. think tank CSIS released a report that questioned the construction of the FRF. It has come to light that, at that time, the Government of Japan, including the Embassy of Japan in the U.S., made contact with the think tank and made objections, stating to the effect that “as much time as necessary and whatever high cost are required would be spent for the construction of the base,” and that Japan “intends to invest any amount of funds to construct the base.” Could you please share with us the facts, including the circumstances leading to the contact with the think tank?

Minister Iwaya: We are aware of the reports you are referring to. There are various think tanks in the U.S., and we have regular communication with members of think tanks. The Government would like to refrain from responding about individual reports.

I believe this think tank initially stated that the relocation to Henoko may be difficult, and I believe we explained that that was not the case.

Needless to say, MCAS Futenma is described as the most dangerous base in the world, since it is located right in the middle of the city center. Accordingly, the current construction work is under way to relocate the base to Henoko, based on the view that the total return of the base should be realized as soon as possible. To mitigate the impact of the base, we will continue to work closely with the U.S. to advance the construction work.

Yomiuri Shimbun, Kamimura: I would like to ask an additional question on Mr. Armitage. You mentioned earlier that he appeared to be healthy despite being in a wheelchair when you met him in January. To the extent possible, could you say a bit more about what kind of discussion you had or what the atmosphere was like? I recall that you spent a fair amount of time with Mr. Armitage. Thank you.

Minister Iwaya: While I would not call it diplomatic communication, I would like to refrain from disclosing the details. I have met him numerous times. I also saw him when I was Minister of Defense, and we discussed all kinds of matters. Accordingly, we also reminisced about old times. In the U.S., the new administration, or the second Trump administration if I can say so, had just been established or it was right before its establishment. Therefore, he offered various insights on the future of the Japan-U.S. Alliance and Japan-U.S. relations, and we had a wide-ranging discussion.