February 20

Opening

President Kenichiro Sasae delivered welcoming remarks in which he referred to the international situation including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and rising tensions between China and the US in the Indo-Pacific region based on the "Strategic Annual Report 2022".

Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi delivered a speech titled "Developing a Fine-Tuned Japanese Diplomacy for a New Era”. In his speech, he outlined the specific challenges facing the international community in a new era following the post-Cold War period and expressed his determination to develop a fine-tuned diplomacy rooted in Japan's history and experience as well as to maintain the international order based on the rule of law, to address global issues, and to realize a "free and open Indo-Pacific" as concrete examples of such diplomacy.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida then took the rostrum. In his address, he stated that, as the G7 chair and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, Japan would support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression, reject attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force, and lead efforts to maintain the international order based on the rule of law, as well as resolve issues facing the international community such as nuclear disarmament. Accordingly, Prime Minister Kishida announced the provision of an additional $5.5 billion in financial assistance to Ukraine and stated that he would hold a G7 summit teleconference on February 24th, one year after the start of the invasion, to which the G7 leaders invited President Zelensky.

▶ Full address by H.E. Mr. KISHIDA Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan, is here.

▶ Full speech by H.E. Mr. HAYASHI Yoshimasa, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, is here.

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