Press Releases

1. On 6 September, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan published a report on climate change and fragility, titled Analysis and Proposal of Foreign Policies Regarding the Impact of Climate Change on Fragility in the Asia-Pacific Region - With focus on natural disasters in the Region -(PDF).

2. The nexus beween climate change and security, in particulary the issue of socioeconomic fragility as a consequence of climate change has been discussed in the G8 and G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meetings since 2013. A working group was established at the G7 Lübeck Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in 2015, the Working Group subtitled its report to the Ministers at the G7 Hiroshima Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in 2016. In a statement issued in the G7 Lucca Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Italy this May, the Foreign Ministers encouraged the Working Group to identify proposals for action to increase resilience in fragile states.

3. The Working Group endeavors to elucidate the relation between climate change and security. In particular, the Working Group focuses on specific regions to identigfy regional fragility issues. The Working Group institutes the significance to seek opportunities to conduct case studies and pilot programs in this regard.

4. In the Asia Pacific region, majority of the world population is estimated to concentrate and expected to grow. The region is also vulnerable to natural disasters. This report therfore focuses on the Asia-Pacific region and draws from a collection of researches and studies conducted in Japan regarding the effects of climate change on disasters and its relation with regional, socioeconomic fragility in the regions. The findings of the report will be presented in the next Working Group meeting scheduled in Italy this autumn, as part of Japan’s contribution in the field of climate change during the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting process. (The report is accessible on MOFA website) Japan will employ and disseminate the outcome of this report not only on the climate change negotiations but also in various diplomatic endeavors to cooperate for development, prevent disasters and achieve Sustainable Development Goals.