(Provisional translation by an external company for reference purpose only)
Today, I have two announcements at the outset. The first is about my attendance at the Davos Conference. From January 20 to 21, I visited Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, also known as Davos Conference, for the first time by the Defense Minister of Japan. During the Davos Conference, at the “Country Strategy Dialogue on Japan,” I explained Japan’s security and defense policies to the participants from various countries. I also held meetings with Minister of Defence Martin Pfister of Switzerland, the host country, as well as with Minister of Defence Ruben Brekelmans of the Netherlands and Secretary General Mark Rutte of NATO. With Minister of Defence Pfister of Switzerland, we reaffirmed that Japan and Switzerland share common values, such as democracy, rule of law, respect for human rights, and rules-based international order. I expressed my commitment to continue leading high-level exchanges with Switzerland and jointly demonstrating to the international community that unilateral changes to the status quo by force will not be tolerated. With Minister of Defence Brekelmans of the Netherlands, we welcomed the recent signing of the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) and concurred to further advance bilateral defense cooperation. Amid the increasingly severe global security environment, including Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the Netherlands has been strengthening its engagement in the Indo-Pacific in a tangible manner, such as deploying navy frigate HNLMS Tromp to Japan two years ago. I welcomed the Netherlands’ policy and conveyed that Japan continues to embrace the further strengthening of European engagement in the Indo-Pacific region. The meeting with Secretary General Rutte of NATO was our second meeting since our video teleconference last month and was our first meeting in person. Recognizing the increasing strategic importance of cooperation between Japan and NATO as well as between NATO and IP4, which are Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea, I expressed my desire to deepen the personal relationship of trust between myself and Secretary General Rutte and strengthen Japan-NATO cooperative relations more than ever before. The security of Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific is inseparable. I believe both sides once again broadly shared this view during my visit. Japan will continue to further enhance collaboration with like-minded countries toward maintaining and strengthening a free and open international order based on the rule of law.
The second announcement is about the request on emergency medicine from the Special Forces Group and another unit. During my recent visit to Camp Narashino, the Special Forces Group and the 1st Airborne Brigade cited that restrictions apply to life-saving procedures that can be conducted on the scene in the event of an injury, and requested the establishment of a more flexible framework that will allow personnel themselves to perform life-saving procedures. In response, I immediately instructed the Director General for Health and Medicine to consider a framework. Subsequently, the departments in charge conducted a detailed inquiry of the needs on the ground. Based on discussions within the ministry, it was decided to expand the life-saving treatment that personnel can perform, provided that safety measures are taken, such as stipulating specific guidelines and providing related training. The details will be worked out based on discussions carried out with experts on emergency medicine beginning next month, at the Medical Control Council of the Ministry of Defense. We remain committed to quickly implementing such measures to protect Self-Defense Force (SDF) personnel and their families, including improving the life-saving rate of SDF personnel engaged in harsh duties. In an increasingly severe security environment, I will work to ensure that each of these improvements contribute to the necessary transformation of Japan’s defense capabilities. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the SDF personnel on the ground who have spoken up. That concludes my opening remarks.