Press Releases
“The Second G7 High-Level Meeting on Maritime Security” (Results)
1. On December 8, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held the Second G7 High-Level Meeting on Maritime Security in Tokyo as a follow-up to the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Hiroshima.
2. Officials from G7 states, outreach states and international organizations as well as scholars and experts attended this meeting, which was chaired by Japan.
3. An overview of the meeting is as follows:
(1) In the beginning, Mr. Kentaro Sonoura, State Minister for Foreign Affairs, made opening remarks (English (PDF)
/ Japanese (PDF)). As for Japan’s stance on maritime security, Mr. Sonoura stated that it is indispensable for the peace and prosperity of the entire international community to keep the seas free, open and stable, and that in particular, Japan advocates the three principles of the rule of law at sea; (i) states shall make and clarify their claims based on international law; (ii) states shall not use force or coercion in trying to drive their claims; (iii) states shall seek to settle disputes by peaceful means. Mr. Sonoura also pointed out three challenges in particular for ensuring free, open and stable seas; (i) the importance of observing international law including UNCLOS, (ii) anti-piracy measures, and (iii) Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA), and touched upon Japan’s initiatives on them while expressing Japan’s commitment to further contributing to the peace, stability and prosperity of the region and the world under the banner of “Proactive Contribution to Peace”.
(2) During each session, presentations were given by officials from G7 states and international organizations as well as scholars and experts, followed by active discussions by participants. At the end of the meeting, the representative of Italy, the next G7 presidency, delivered a speech.
(3) It was confirmed to make further commitment as the G7 to address challenges on maritime security based on “the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Statement on Maritime Security (PDF)” and the other relevant G7 Statements.