Press Conferences

Mr. IWAYA Takeshi, Minister for Foreign Affairs: Good evening. I have some items to report at the outset.

Since yesterday, plenary sessions are being held at the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors, and party leaders asked questions on behalf of their In-House Groups. As part of this, various discussions took place on diplomacy and security as well. Building on such discussions at the Diet, I intend to steadfastly carry out diplomacy.

I myself held a telephone talk with Minister for Foreign Affairs Wong of Australia yesterday. In addition, I received a courtesy call from Admiral Paparo, Commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. With the Japan-U.S. Alliance as a cornerstone, we will firmly promote cooperation with friendly and like-minded countries to preserve peace in Japan and realize stability in the region.

In addition, during the Cabinet meeting today, I remarked on Japan’s support in response to the flood and landslide disaster in Southeast Asian countries, including Viet Nam and Myanmar, caused by Typhoon No. 11, apparently also known as “Typhoon Yagi,” that hit in early September.

The Government of Japan will provide Emergency Grant totaling USD 4 million for the people severely affected in Viet Nam and Myanmar, through the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).

I extend my sincere condolences to those who lost their lives and offer my sympathy to those who are forced to evacuate. I hope that life returns to normal as quickly as possible for the affected people.

That is all from me at the outset.

Kyodo News, Nishiyama: I would like to ask about the meeting with Admiral Paparo, as you mentioned earlier. At the meeting, you stated your intention to work in close coordination to further strengthen Alliance deterrence and response capabilities, while mitigating the impact on local communities including Okinawa. If there are any measure you would like to particularly focus on for mitigating the impact on Okinawa, could you explain them?

Minister Iwaya: Yesterday, Admiral Paparo and I concurred to strengthen Alliance deterrence and response capabilities, along with mitigating the impact on local communities including Okinawa.

Specifically, we hope to steadily implement the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan. This includes the return of land south of Kadena and the relocation of Marine Corps personnel to Guam. If all goes smoothly, this is scheduled to begin at the end of this year. We intend to firmly advance such initiatives.

Additionally, it is the goal of the Government to avoid the continued use of Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Futenma. We have consistently stated that its relocation to Henoko is the only solution to achieve this. We intend to steadily advance the efforts between Japan and the U.S. toward the total return of MCAS Futenma.

Needless to say, the understanding and cooperation of people in local communities, including Okinawa, are essential for the stable stationing of U.S. forces in Japan. For this reason, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) will engage in steadfast efforts for mitigating the impact.

Yomiuri Shimbun, Tsukamoto: I would like to ask about the overseas voting system. Although there are more than a million overseas Japanese nationals, I believe the number of overseas Japanese nationals who voted in recent national elections has remained at around 20,000. I gather that overseas Japanese nationals have criticized the system for being inconvenient, such as the number of polling locations being limited and the voting period being short. Could you share your thoughts on whether sufficient voting opportunities are secured for overseas Japanese nationals and what challenges exist?

Minister Iwaya: Actually, I have long had strong concerns about this issue you just mentioned. Until recently, I served as Executive Acting Chairperson of the Research Commission on the Election System of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and we discussed this issue. I also have been a member of and have been active in a nonpartisan group called the Parliamentary League for Promoting Overseas Voting.

I am aware that, as you indicated, there are various challenges surrounding voting at diplomatic missions overseas. My personal view is that online voting should be implemented in this digital age.

A range of improvements have been made to date. In collaboration with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), we have, for example, allowed those people to register on the overseas voter directory by video call, without them having to visit a diplomatic mission. We have also begun printing overseas voter identification at diplomatic missions, which has helped speed up the issuance of identification. We have taken such measures. However, some still face issues depending on the country, such as the diplomatic missions being far away, or getting there requiring significant effort, time, or an overnight stay. This is why I believe we should pave the way for internet voting. I understand that MIC is currently identifying points of contention for both the institutional and operational aspects of this possibility.

Of course, we must maintain fair elections. To introduce internet voting, we need to overcome issues, including ensuring reliable identity verification, preventing double voting, protecting the secrecy of votes, and implementing security measures for the system. Nonetheless, this is an initiative we want to move forward with.

That said, the election system concerns all political parties and factions. The consensus of all parties and factions is ultimately needed for its realization, and not so much having the Government lead the way. Therefore, I hope this issue to be discussed extensively among all parties.

MOFA will work closely with MIC, which oversees the election system, to further explore this initiative.

Asahi Shimbun, Satomi: My question is about the Emergency Grant you announced in your opening remarks. Could you tell us, if you know, about the breakdown of the amount being provided to the respective international organizations, and what types of support, such as water or food, are anticipated to be allocated by this grant?

Minister Iwaya: In Viet Nam, we are providing USD 1 million for the distribution of shelter and non-food items through IOM and USD 1 million for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) and child protection through UNICEF. These two are in Viet Nam. In Myanmar, we are providing USD 1 million for the distribution of food through WFP and USD 1 million for WASH and child protection through UNICEF. This is the breakdown of the USD 4 million total.

Independent Web Journal, Hamamoto: I have a question regarding the conflict in Ukraine. In this conflict, the Kishida administration conducted rigid diplomacy, unilaterally making Russia out to be the villain and siding with Ukraine. Neither Foreign Minister Kamikawa nor Foreign Minister Hayashi acknowledged at all the fact that discriminatory policies were implemented against Russian-speaking residents and that ethnic cleansing, including the killing and injuring of civilians, took place in Donbas in eastern Ukraine in the eight years leading up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia now views Japan as a hostile nation because of the Kishida administration’s sanctions against Russia and provision of as much as USD 6.3 billion or 901.5 billion yen in support for Ukraine. Meanwhile, if Trump takes power in the U.S., there could be changes in the Ukraine policy of the U.S. With responses of the member countries of NATO also being non-uniform, it seems that Japan needs to shift away from subservience to the U.S. to an autonomous and independent diplomacy that facilitates realizing peace between Russia and Ukraine. I would like to hear your thoughts. Thank you.

Minister Iwaya: This is not a matter of subservience to the U.S. or the like.

As I stated at my inaugural press conference, while Russia is thought to have its own reasoning, no matter what it is, it is unacceptable for a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council to change the status quo by force in an independent neighboring country in broad daylight. I have to say such an act shakes the very foundations of the international order.

Such unilateral changes to the status quo by force must not be tolerated anywhere. Please understand that this is Japan’s independent judgment, and it not that we are abiding by the U.S.

We have been addressing this issue with this recognition to stop Russia’s aggression and achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine as soon as possible, in order to realize peace and security in the entire international community. Regrettably, the war has become prolonged. Nevertheless, Japan believes that we must continue to support Ukraine so that this conflict can be resolved as quickly as possible.

NHK, Yonezu: My question is about the House of Representatives election scheduled for October 27. I would like to ask you about this, given that the stability of the ruling parties also impacts diplomacy and that you were the lead recommender for Prime Minister Ishiba in the LDP presidential election. Prime Minister Ishiba indicated that he would not endorse some members of the LDP who did not report their political funds, and that he would not allow the candidates to run in both single-seat constituencies and proportional representation districts. Some party members have shown understanding toward this policy, while some, primarily from the former Abe faction, have expressed strong opposition. With the party described as becoming increasingly less unanimous, please share with us your assessment of this endorsement policy, your view on the party situation, and your thoughts on how the administration should approach the House of Representatives election.

Minister Iwaya: I believe this is not a question I should be answering as Foreign Minister. That being said, speaking as a member of the LDP, I imagine that the Prime Minister’s or the LDP President’s decision must have been a very difficult and tough one.

This is by no means a matter of internal party politics or anything of that level. I believe Prime Minister Ishiba determined that, in holding the election, he needs to restore confidence in the LDP, and to do so, he had no choice but to make the tough decision to deal strictly with the members who failed to report their records, in accordance with their circumstances.

In a democracy, the judgment of the sovereign people is both final and supreme. Therefore, in the upcoming election, I hope that as many members as possible will provide thorough explanations, gain the confidence of the people, and return to the Diet.

There are some criticisms that the election is being held too soon. However, the international situation is changing rapidly, and we do not know what will happen in the future. The results of the U.S. presidential election will also come out next month. As the Prime Minister repeatedly stated at the Diet again today, after the election, he wishes to work on economic measures for the foreseeable future, including the recovery and reconstruction of Noto. In this regard, we would like to gain the confidence of the people and hope to stabilize the foundation of the administration so that we can put strong effort into diplomacy and press forward with our policies.

I am also one of the candidates. While I may not be able to stay in my constituency as long as before, I will fight hard in this election and hope to gain the confidence of the people.