(Provisional translation by an external company for reference purpose only)
I would like to report on the trilateral and bilateral meetings I held with various countries. I will proceed in order. First, a Japan-Australia-ROK Trilateral Defense Ministerial Meeting was convened for the first time. At the meeting, we exchanged views on common regional issues and the respective countries’ efforts to realize a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” (FOIP). After that, at the Japan-Fiji Defense Ministerial Meeting, I expressed my appreciation for Minister Tikoduadua’s participation in the second Japan Pacific Islands Defense Dialogue (JPIDD) held back in March in Tokyo. We also discussed bilateral and multilateral defense cooperation and concurred to continue to work together closely. At the Japan-Netherlands Defense Ministerial Meeting that followed, I welcomed that the Netherlands has enhanced its engagement with the Indo-Pacific region in a tangible manner in recent years, and confirmed with Minister Ollongren on further evolving defense cooperation and exchanges between both countries. Then, at the Japan-Ukraine Defense Ministerial Meeting, I expressed my respect for the courage and perseverance of the Ukrainian people who are standing up to defend their homeland and freedom in the face of continued Russian aggression, and conveyed that the Ministry of Defense and the Self-Defense Forces will continue to support Ukraine as much as possible in cooperation with the international community. This was followed by the Japan-U.S. Defense Ministerial Meeting. We reaffirmed that we will closely cooperate to realize strategic initiatives to strengthen the Alliance capabilities to deter and respond, such as the upgrading of respective command and control frameworks, extended deterrence, and defense industrial cooperation, and that we will continue to advance cooperation with regional partners. In addition, we concurred that we will continue to closely cooperate to steadily advance the realignment of facilities and areas of U.S. Forces in Japan, including the return of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma and its relocation to Henoko. You may have heard Secretary of Defense Austin’s speech yesterday in which he mentioned the Statement of Principles (SOP), principles to strengthen the resilience of defense industrial bases in the Indo-Pacific region. Defense industry cooperation with our ally and partners in the Indo-Pacific region is critical. At the Japan-U.S. Summit Meeting in April, the two countries decided to establish the Forum on Defense Industrial Cooperation, Acquisition and Sustainment (DICAS) . The SOP announced by the U.S. Department of Defense in this context underscores the importance of countries working together to address the challenges in supply chain cooperation and promotion of cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, and Japan supports discussions in this direction. Then, at the Japan-New Zealand Defense Ministerial Meeting, I welcomed New Zealand’s redeployment of its asset to conduct monitoring and surveillance activities of illicit maritime activities, including ship-to-ship transfers by North Korean vessels, and we concurred on further advancing defense cooperation and exchanges, including cooperation in the Pacific Islands Region. Next, at the Japan-Lithuania Defense Ministerial Meeting, Minister of National Defence Kasčiūnas and I confirmed the strengthening of cooperation based on the Japan-Lithuania Memorandum on Defense Cooperation and Exchange. We also exchanged views on bilateral defense cooperation and exchanges, including cyber defense and collaboration through support for Ukraine. Lastly, I held the Japan-Canada Defense Ministerial Meeting for the first time in approximately two years. We exchanged views on Japan-Canada defense cooperation and exchanges, including joint exercises and cooperation through NATO, and concurred on continuing to work closely to realize “FOIP” at all levels between Japan and Canada.