Press Conferences

Foreign Minister MOTEGI Toshimitsu: I am visiting Ankara, Türkiye, where the NATO Summit is being held. While I still have a meeting with the German Foreign Minister tomorrow, nearly all of my scheduled events have concluded, and I would like to provide you with an overview.

The security of the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific is inseparable. In order to appropriately address the challenges facing the international community, further strengthening cooperation across the regions is essential. Taking the opportunity of the NATO Summit, I attended related meetings and held bilateral talks today with participating countries to share views and further advance cooperation with like-minded countries.

Specifically, today, I attended a meeting between NATO Secretary General Rutte and its Indo-Pacific Partners (IP4), as well as a Japan-U.S.-Republic of Korea (ROK) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, preceded by a Japan-U.S. Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and a Japan-ROK Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. I also held a Japan-Kuwait Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and Japan- EU Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

First, at the meeting between NATO Secretary General Rutte and the IP4, I emphasized that the security of the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific is inseparable as evidenced by the military cooperation between Russia and North Korea in Ukraine, and explained the severe security environment in East Asia, adding that it was highly important for the IP4 and NATO to reaffirm their solidarity.

Other participants also referred to the severe security environment facing the two regions, and the two sides concurred on further building up concrete cooperation between NATO and the IP4 and strengthening their coordination.

At the Japan-U.S.-ROK Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, we reaffirmed that, in light of the increasingly severe strategic environment that the three countries face, it remains important to strengthen the solidarity among the three countries and continue to demonstrate the strategic coordination of the Japan-U.S. and U.S.-ROK alliances. We also welcomed that the three countries’ action-oriented discussions were translating into tangible outcomes, such as the Memorandum of Cooperation on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) signed today.

We intend to continue expanding the scope of the trilateral cooperation in areas such as the response to North Korea, regional security, and global economic security.

On the sidelines of the Japan-U.S.-ROK Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, I also held a separate bilateral meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Rubio. Regarding the situation surrounding Iran, I emphasized the importance of ensuring free and safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz without incurring additional costs. Secretary Rubio fully shared this view. We also exchanged views on the regional situation in the Indo-Pacific, including issues related to China.

With ROK Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, we discussed the importance of strategic coordination between Japan and the ROK as well as among Japan, the U.S., and the ROK, and concurred on continuing close communication between the two governments, including through the active promotion of the two leaders’ “shuttle diplomacy.”

With Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Jarrah, with whom I have maintained close communication through telephone calls, we held our first meeting in person and concurred that, under our “Comprehensive and Strategic Partnership,” the two countries will advance concrete cooperation not only in the energy sector but also across a wide range of fields.

We also had a candid exchange of views on the situation in Iran. We reaffirmed our shared opposition to the imposition of any fees for transiting the Strait of Hormuz and concurred on the need to maintain close coordination.

Then in a meeting with EU High Representative Kallas, which followed on from our Strategic Dialogue in March, we reaffirmed our commitment to steadily advance cooperation between Japan and the EU as partners with shared values.

On this occasion, I candidly conveyed Japan’s concerns about the EU’s Industrial Accelerator Act as well as the EU’s tariff measures planned to be imposed on Japan’s steel products, and reiterated the importance of cooperation among like-minded countries in the economic and trade sectors.

Overall, at this NATO Summit, where leaders and ministers from the Euro-Atlantic, the Indo-Pacific, and the Middle East have gathered, I believe that I was able to clearly articulate Japan’s position, including our updated “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” vision, as well as deepen the discussion and reaffirm the importance of coordination with like-minded countries.

Tomorrow morning, I will hold talks with German Foreign Minister Wadephul, my final meeting in this trip. Building on our previous discussions with Germany, a NATO member and an important partner in the G7, I intend to have a candid exchange of views on ways to further strengthen the bilateral cooperation and on the increasingly tense regional situation.

It was a busy day, but I believe I was able to have fruitful meetings with each of my counterparts. In each of these meetings, I emphasized that the security environments of the Indo-Pacific and the Euro-Atlantic are inseparable. Furthermore, I was able to hold a series of meetings that allowed us to reaffirm our understanding on issues such as the situation in Iran and the security environment in the Indo-Pacific. That concludes my opening remarks.

Reporter: At the meeting between NATO Secretary General Rutte and the IP4 representatives you just mentioned, what specific views were exchanged? Following up on the meeting, could you explain again the importance of the IP4 framework, and, in particular, the discussion that took place with China in mind? Also, a Japan-U.S.-ROK Meeting was held earlier. Was China’s launch of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) from a strategic nuclear submarine to the Pacific on July 6 raised at the meeting? I would also like to know the views conveyed by the Japanese side and the views expressed by the U.S. and the ROK.

Foreign Minister MOTEGI: At the meeting between NATO Secretary General Rutte and the IP4, we had a candid exchange of views, including on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the current situation in the Middle East, and the situation in the Indo-Pacific, such as issues related to China and responses to North Korea.

As I stated earlier, as seen in the military cooperation between Russia and North Korea in Ukraine, the security of the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific is inseparable. Based on the recognition of the importance of continuing practical cooperation between NATO and the IP4, we concurred to further strengthen our coordination in areas such as defense industry cooperation, cyber, and technology.

With regard to China’s missile launch yesterday amid the intensification of its military activities, I raised concerns from the perspective of the security of Japan and the region in each of the meetings.

While I would like to refrain from going into the details of diplomatic exchanges, at the Japan-U.S.-ROK Foreign Ministers’ Meeting you asked about, the three sides candidly exchanged views on issues related to China and shared concerns over yesterday’s missile launch.

Japan intends to continue to maintain close communication and coordination with its ally and like-minded countries regarding the situation in the Indo-Pacific.