Press Conferences

Foreign Minister MOTEGI Toshimitsu: At the outset, I would like to make an announcement regarding the Island States Ocean Summit.

Hosted by the Nippon Foundation, the Island States Ocean Summit will be held in Tokyo from June 3 to June 4. The objective of this Summit is to discuss the creation of a sustainable ocean and the common challenges faced by island states. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) will co-organize this Summit with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO.

Approximately 300 people are expected to attend the Summit, including President Whipps of Palau, who will serve as a co-chair, as well as heads of state and cabinet ministers from around 30 island states in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea regions, and representatives from international organizations. I will attend the welcome reception the day before the Summit, where I will deliver remarks and exchange views with the participants.

On this occasion, MOFA intends to convey Japan’s policies and initiatives in the maritime field and strengthen relations with the island states.

That concludes my opening remarks.

Asian News International, ITAGAKI: Welcome back from the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting this week and thank you for your hard work. The local media gave extensive coverage, with one report describing the Quad as having “returned to the geopolitical arena and shining with a particularly bright luster,” though this is a literal translation. Most of the coverage was highly favorable and overwhelmingly positive. Given that the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was successful, our interest now turns to how it will pave the way for the main meeting. We are also interested in when the meeting will be held and what themes will be on the agenda. I would appreciate it if you could share your thoughts on these matters.

Foreign Minister MOTEGI: I visited, Delhi, India this week. I saw that there was an article about me on the front page of a local newspaper, and I thought that local newspapers provided more extensive coverage than Japanese newspapers.

Leaving that aside, I believe that the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting provided an excellent opportunity for the foreign ministers of Japan, Australia, India, and the U.S., which share common values and possess the will and capability to address regional issues, to reaffirm that we will press forward with practical cooperation toward the realization of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP).”

That being said, I believe you were asking about the next Leaders’ Meeting. While the schedule and other details of the Leaders’ Meeting have not been decided, the four ministers expressed their hope of holding the next Leaders’ Meeting.

At this week’s meeting, the foreign ministers engaged in extensive communications with each other, with a view to a potential Leaders’ Meeting, and intend to continue working closely together.