(Provisional translation by an external company for reference purpose only)
I have one announcement today at the outset. From July 6 to 9, I will visit Türkiye to attend related events of the NATO Summit in Ankara. The NATO Summit, which will be held for the 36th time this year, will bring together heads of state and government from 32 NATO member countries for decision-making at the highest level of NATO. Alongside the summit, a variety of related events will be held. I will attend the Defence Industry Forum and a working dinner at the level of ministers of defense for the first time as a Japanese Defense Minister. This year, the defense ministers of NATO’s Indo-Pacific Partners—Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, and New Zealand—the so-called IP4, were invited to related events for the first time by NATO Secretary General Rutte. In addition to attending related events during my visit, meetings with the defense ministers of Türkiye, the host country, as well as the UK and other countries are being arranged. Through this visit, I intend to share the view with my counterparts once again that the security of the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific is inseparable, and confirm the strong unity between Japan and NATO and between the IP4 and NATO toward maintaining and strengthening a free and open international order based on the rule of law. That concludes my opening remarks.