Press Conferences

Ms. KAMIKAWA Yoko, Minister for Foreign Affairs: I have two announcements.

Today marks exactly one year since I assumed the office of Minister for Foreign Affairs. Over this past year, I visited 44 countries and regions, including Ukraine during wartime and Israel and Palestine immediately after the situation grew increasingly tense. Furthermore, I held around 150 meetings with world leaders on urgent issues facing the international community.

The existing international order remains exposed to challenges. As the international community is becoming more divided and confrontational due to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East, the past year was also a crucial period when Japan had a heavy responsibility as the G7 Presidency and a non-permanent member of the United Nations (UN) Security Council.

Against this backdrop, Japan sent strong messages about the “rule of law” and a “world without nuclear weapons” at the G7 Hiroshima Summit last year. I myself have followed up by steadily implementing the “Hiroshima Action Plan” and other outcomes.

As Japan is finding itself in the midst of the most severe and complex security environment since the end of World War II, I have worked to deepen security cooperation with our allied and like-minded countries, including in the economic and cyber domains.

I held “2+2” meetings in July with the U.S. and the Philippines, respectively, with India in August, and with Australia last week. The “2+2” meetings held with four countries in these two months alone demonstrate the expanding depth and breadth of Japan’s security policy.

It is becoming pressing to tackle global challenges that cannot be resolved by any one country acting alone. In this context, I have sought to strengthen relations with the Global South as well as to strengthen relations through dialogue and collaboration as partners for co-creation.

In addition, I established the “Co-Creative Platform for Strengthening Economic Diplomacy” in order to link the vitality of the Global South to the growth of Japan. As part of this, we have appointed “officials in charge of cross-border economic affairs” at relevant diplomatic missions, and they have already started their activities.

In the course of conducting such diplomacy, I repeatedly witnessed all over the world the trust and expectations placed on Japan, which it has earned as a peace-loving nation over a period of some 80 years since the end of World War II.

To live up to such trust and expectations, I conducted diplomacy that will lead the world to peace and cooperation by integrating the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) concept, and many countries expressed their agreement and support. Specifically, first, I established the WPS Task Force. Second, I implemented specific projects incorporating WPS perspectives; and third, I established collaborative networks with WPS as its axis.

To ensure that we pass on these outcomes to the young generations of the future, I will continue to make every effort to maintain and strengthen a “free and open international order based on the rule of law” under the fundamental principles of the “rule of law” and “human dignity.”

Minister Kamikawa: Second, the Government of Japan has learned of the loss of many precious lives due to the flood disasters in Southeast Bangladesh since August 21, and would like to offer its heartfelt condolences to the victims and express its sincere sympathies to the bereaved families and those affected by the disasters.

In response to these disasters, at today’s Cabinet meeting, I stated that the Government of Japan will extend Emergency Grant Aid of USD 1 million through the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

This grant aid will provide support in areas such as Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) as well as shelter from a humanitarian perspective and in light of our long-standing friendship.

In addition, a grant of approximately USD 2.16 million to be disbursed for assistance by Japanese NGOs via the Japan Platform (JPF) was approved on September 2.

The Government of Japan strongly hopes that a peaceful and democratic political transition will be attained under the leadership of the Interim Government Chief Advisor Dr. Muhammad Yunus, and that Bangladesh will once again return to a path to stable development. The Government of Japan will continue its cooperation for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the flood-affected areas as well as for the development and prosperity of Bangladesh, thereby further developing bilateral relations under the Strategic Partnership.

That is all from me.

Yomiuri Shimbun, Kamimura: I would like to ask about duties of Foreign Minister and the LDP presidential election. As you mentioned at the outset, today marks one year since you became Foreign Minister. In advancing your envisioned diplomacy, have you ever felt that your duties or authority as Foreign Minister were limited? In addition, the presidential election campaign is currently underway. Can you share with us what kind of summit diplomacy you would like to conduct if you became Prime Minister and LDP President?

Minister Kamikawa: Last September, right after assuming the office of Foreign Minister, I accompanied Prime Minister Kishida to the UN General Assembly. At the Security Council High Level Open Debate, I saw up close the backs of President Zelenskyy of Ukraine and Prime Minister Kishida seated next to the President. It struck me then that the ultimate responsibility for diplomacy rests with the leader, and that it is the head of state, the leader bearing responsibility for their country, who singlehandedly conducts diplomacy that will determine the fate of their nation.

I made the exact same observation in April of this year when I, as Foreign Minister, accompanied Prime Minister Kishida on his official visit to the U.S. and attended the Japan-U.S. Summit Meeting. At this bilateral meeting, I again observed up close that the leader fulfills their responsibility to conduct diplomacy that will determine the fate of their nation.

The Foreign Minister of course plays a critical role in diplomacy. It is the Foreign Minister who bears practical responsibility in the current tense and increasingly severe international situation in which China and Russia are making unilateral attempts to change the status quo. In the end, however, it is the leader who bears responsibility for the country. This past year has strongly affirmed that the Prime Minister bears the final responsibility.

Based on these experiences, I have braced myself to lead Japan’s diplomacy as Prime Minister. My first task as Prime Minister is to build and deepen strong personal bonds with the new U.S. President. This is my foremost task.

As the international community becomes ever more fluid, strengthening the Japan-U.S. Alliance becomes the cornerstone for expanding the network built on solidarity among allied and like-minded nations. I believe summit diplomacy plays an exceptionally important role in building the Japan-U.S. Alliance relationship.

At the same time, the Prime Minister deals with authoritarian states, which are countries where authority is concentrated in the hands of the leader. I have seen that Prime Minister bears an extremely heavy responsibility and significant risks in conducting diplomacy with these countries.

Indeed, it is important that leaders ultimately hold dialogue and arrive at a solution. The leader, Prime Minister, has a responsibility to engage in diplomacy with such determination.

Furthermore, there is economic diplomacy. Prime Minister promotes economic diplomacy as part of summit diplomacy. I have observed this in many instances. It is crucial that the leader engages their counterparts in economic diplomacy, both for enhancing Japan’s national power and for meeting the expectations placed on Japan.

Specifically, next year’s Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan will be a platform for exploring an array of future possibilities, including using digital technologies or digital transformation to solve issues like global warming. The Expo will help match participating countries and companies. I have actively communicated this in diplomatic settings.

Based on my experience as Foreign Minister this past year, I recognize the importance of summit diplomacy, and I am determined to carry out responsible summit diplomacy as Prime Minister. I consider this to be my important duty as Prime Minister.

Sankei Shimbun, Harakawa: You mentioned earlier about the UN General Assembly. Last year, you accompanied the Prime Minister. This year, the High-Level Week is scheduled to start on September 24, and I understand that ministerial meetings will also be held to coincide with this week. However, the dates overlap with the last phase of the LDP presidential election for which you announced your candidacy yesterday. I would like to ask again if you will be attending the UN General Assembly this year as Foreign Minister who, if I may borrow your words, “bears practical responsibility.” If your answer is the same as last time, that it has yet to be decided, please tell us about if you yourself wish to attend or not.

Minister Kamikawa: Amidst the multiple crises the international community is facing, it is critical that Japan fully demonstrates its commitment to the UN, the core framework of multilateralism.

If circumstances permit, Prime Minister Kishida will visit New York to attend the UN General Assembly, and also plans to attend the Summit of the Future.

Whether I will be attending the UN General Assembly or not has not been decided at this time. As I stated earlier, I, as the person responsible for Japan’s diplomacy, intend to and will continue to fully support Prime Minister Kishida to ensure that Japan’s diplomacy, including our commitment to the UN, is conducted without any neglect or omission.

Freelance, Nishinaka: September 1 marked the 101st year since the Great Kanto Earthquake. Memorial events related to the massacres of Koreans and Chinese were held throughout the Kanto region again this year. I have heard that families of victims from China visited Japan, and on September 2, met with officials from the China and Mongolia Divisions of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), requesting an investigation into the facts of the incident and an apology from the Government of Japan. It seems that the Cabinet decision document from that time was presented, and MOFA has confirmed the existence of the public record. Since then, negotiations between the Governments of Japan and China have remained at a halt. During last year’s extraordinary session of the Diet, committee members of both the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors asked numerous questions based on the public record. In 2009, when you were the first Minister of Public Records Management and National Archives of the Fukuda Cabinet, the Central Disaster Management Council of the Cabinet Office prepared an expert panel report on the lessons learned from the Great Kanto Earthquake that referred to the massacres of Chinese and Koreans. Therefore, I believe you are well aware of the importance of verifying history from public records. Does the Government of Japan have any intention to recognize the historical fact that many Koreans and Chinese were killed by the Government and people in the aftermath of the Great Kanto Earthquake, to carry out an investigation to prevent persecution based on racial or ethnic discrimination and xenophobia which still occurs around the world, and to accept the requests from the families of the victims?

Minister Kamikawa: The Government of Japan has conveyed its view that “As far as the Government has investigated, it has not found any records within the Government that can ascertain the facts.” There is no change in the Government’s view.

In any case, in the event of a disaster, it is vital that the Government endeavors to ensure the safety and security of all affected people.

In addition, the Government considers that unjust and discriminatory rhetoric and behavior aimed at excluding specific ethnic groups or nationalities, much less violence or crimes committed with such motives, cannot be tolerated in any society.