Press Releases
The 24th meeting of the Committee for the Promotion of the Declassification of Diplomatic Records
1. On July 3rd, the 24th meeting of the Committee for the Promotion of the Declassification of Diplomatic Records, headed by Mr. Kiyoto Tsuji, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
2. At the meeting, the members of the Committee (PDF)
discussed the declassification of diplomatic records created more than 30 years ago, including the records about a foreign visit by Mr. Noboru Takeshita, Prime Minister of Japan in 1988, and negotiations on the reversion of Okinawa, in 1969.
3. Based on the review by the Committee, those records will be transferred to the Diplomatic Archives and be made public after completing necessary procedures for the release to the public.
To promote the declassification of diplomatic records in a transparent manner, the rules on the declassification of diplomatic records were set in May 2010 and the Committee for the Promotion of the Declassification of Diplomatic Records was also established based on the rules. The role of the Committee is to review diplomatic records with special historical significance for releasing to the public.