1.
On March 25, from around 8 p.m. for approximately 4 hours, Mr. MOTEGI Toshimitsu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, attended the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. The overview is as follows. This is the first G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting to be held via video conference ever.
2.
Following up on the discussions of the G7 Leaders’ meeting, the G7 Foreign Ministers affirmed coordination at the foreign-ministerial level as well. Minister Motegi highlighted the importance of the following five points, while explaining Japan’s initiatives and lessons learned, and shared common views with the other G7 Foreign Ministers.
Sharing of lessons learned and findings among the G7 and the international community
Coordination among the relevant countries in relation to border control measures
Strengthening of public-private initiatives and international cooperation for the development of medicine and vaccines
Cooperation to ensure the safety of citizens in each country and discussion to secure minimum necessary means of transportation for people and goods
G7 initiatives in support of developing countries of concern for potential outbreak
3.
The G7 Foreign Ministers also discussed regional affairs. In particular, Minister Motegi led discussions on the issue of North Korea as one of the foremost priorities of the G7. The G7 Foreign Ministers shared the recognition that the international community cannot tolerate the repeated launches of ballistic missiles by North Korea, and reaffirmed that the G7 supports the initiatives of the United States towards the realization of North Korea’s dismantlement of all weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles of all ranges in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner, and that the G7 closely works together to ensure the full implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions. Regarding the abductions issue, Minister Motegi requested G7 members’ understanding and cooperation for the early resolution of the issue and received support.
4.
As part of discussions on Asia, the G7 Foreign Ministers also discussed China. They reaffirmed the recognition that it is important for the G7 to work closely together to encourage China to play a constructive role and to fulfill a greater responsibility in the free, open and rules-based international system.
5.
The G7 Foreign Ministers exchanged views on the situation in the Middle East, including Iran. Minister Motegi explained that through the Japan-Iran Foreign Ministers’ Telephone Talk held on March 20, among other meetings with Foreign Minister Zarif, he has called on Iran to comply with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and to play a constructive role in the Middle East. He also expressed Japan’s intention to continue to engage in diplomatic efforts towards easing tensions and stabilizing the situation in the region.
6.
Active discussions were also held on other regional affairs and Minister Motegi articulated Japan’s position and proactively engaged in the discussions. The G7 Foreign Ministers also confirmed that they will continue to work together on the urgent issues facing the international community.
[Reference] G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting In addition to Minister Motegi, the meeting was attended by the Foreign Ministers of the United States, Italy, France, Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom, as well the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The chair of this year’s meeting was Secretary of State Pompeo of the United States.
資料來源：Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan https://www.mofa.go.jp/press/release/press6e_000215.html
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