Japan-Mongolia Defense Minister’s Video Teleconference

June 2, 2020
Japan Ministry of Defense
in Japanese

　On June 1, 2020, Minister KONO had a Video Teleconference with Minister Enkhbold of Mongolia.

  1. At the outset of the meeting, Minister Kono expressed his respect toward Mongolia’s responses against COVID-19 and Minister Enkhold thanked Minister Kono for his statement. The two Ministers exchanged views on issues such as the roles to be played by the defense authorities given the global spread of COVID-19. Minister Kono explained the Japan Self-Defense Forces’ activities on the cruise ship Diamond Princess, activities to take measures at the airport and to prevent community spread infection, infection-preventative measures undertaken in their operation which resulted in having no deployed member infected with the virus, and analysis by the SDF Central Hospital by using a presentation document (see attached). Minister Enkhbold, in return, explained the latest situation and measures taken in Mongolia, where the Mongolian military has played an important role from the initial stage of the outbreak, such as providing its Central military hospital as a quarantine facility and expanding its function as a key treatment center if pandemic infections rise.
  2. The two ministers also exchanged views on the current regional security issues including the South China Sea and the East China Sea in light of the current events occurring in the region, and agreed to continue close communication. On this matter, Minister Kono expressed his view that the attempt to unilaterally change the status quo by force and any activities that add to the tension is strongly opposed and that free and open maritime order based on the rule of law is important. Minister Enkhbold expressed that Mongolia is committed to a peaceful settlement of disputes on South China Sea in compliance with international law and legal norms.
  3. Further, the two ministers exchanged views on defense cooperation and exchanges between Japan and Mongolia. Minister Kono pointed out the importance of further cooperation with other countries that share values and interests in order not to undermine the free and open international order that has been a cornerstone of peace and prosperity in the world. Moreover, Minister Kono, taking into consideration the implications of COVID-19, expressed the importance of both countries’ maintaining seamless defense posture and of continued and strengthened bilateral defense cooperation to uphold and reinforce the Free and Open Indo-Pacific. Both Ministers confirmed the unwavering defense relationship between Japan and Mongolia, and in particular, they agreed to continue conducting capacity building projects in the field of PKO (civil engineering) and military medicine.
  4. The two ministers agreed on the following three points bearing in mind the circumstances arisen by the spread of COVID-19;
  1. sharing information, knowledge and lessons learned about the measures taken by the defense authorities towards overcoming COVID-19 at the earliest stage;
  2. necessity of sharing threat recognition based on the current circumstances and potential effects of the spread of COVID-19 on defense policy of each country; and
  3. promoting vigorously defense cooperation and exchanges to uphold and reinforce the Free and Open Indo-Pacific while maintaining communication between the defense authorities.