1.
The Great East Japan Earthquake
2.
Safety on Travelling Japan
3.
Special ASEAN-Japan Ministerial Meeting
4.
Fifth Trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of
Japan, the People’s Republic of China, and the Republic of Korea
5.
G8 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
6.
The 6th ASEAN-Japan Counter-Terrorism Dialogue
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JICC
Newsletter
No.3, May 2011 |
5. G8
Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
Japan Expressed Gratitude for the
Sympathy Conveyed and Support Offered by Many Countries after the
Disaster

The G8 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was held in Paris on 14–15 March,
with Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto in attendance from Japan.
At the beginning of the meeting, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé
(G8 Chairman) expressed his sympathy and condolences to Japan for
the extensive damage the country and its people suffered in the
earthquake that occurred on 11 March. Minister Matsumoto expressed
his gratitude for the sympathies conveyed and the offers of support
from many countries, and stated that:
a) even for Japan as an earthquake-prone country the recent
earthquake and tsunami were of an unprecedented scale beyond all
imagination and have resulted in an extremely large amount of damage
and loss of life;
b) the Japanese government is making utmost efforts on rebuilding
activities; and
c) he wished to overcome this tremendous disaster through the
strength of the Japanese people and the cooperation of foreign
countries.
He also gave an explanation that covered the latest situation
regarding the current state of the nuclear power plant accident
brought on by the earthquake and tsunami and the measures being
taken, stating that Japan is handling the wholly unanticipated
situation with a sense of vigilance.
The foreign ministers also discussed the following issues: Libya and
the Middle East; nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation,
including North Korea; and Africa.
Concerning the situation in Libya, the ministers agreed to increase
pressure on Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi and his officials and to
continue discussing effective responses at the UN Security Council
and other venues. With regard to the situation in the broader Middle
East and North Africa, ministers expressed their intent to support
the holding of fair elections in Egypt and Tunisia, as well as their
concerns about the current stalemate in the Middle East Peace
Process. Minister Matsumoto concurred with the importance of
pursuing freedom and democracy, presented examples of Asian
countries that have experience of gradual transitions to democracy
through growth, and noted the importance for democracy to lead to
political stability.
In the area of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, Minister
Matsumoto stated that in order to promote global disarmament amid
the continuing advancement of follow-up on the NPT Review Conference
of May 2010, Japan formed a cross-regional group of
non-nuclear-weapon states and is continuing efforts to propose
realistic solutions toward mitigating nuclear risks. Concerning
North Korea, Minister Matsumoto requested other countries’ support
and expressed Japan’s intent to maintain persistent efforts toward
comprehensive resolution of the outstanding issues of concern,
including abductions as well as nuclear and missile development. He
also pointed out the necessity of steady implementation of the
relevant UN Security Council Resolutions in a concerted manner by
the international community. He further pointed out that North Korea
needs to demonstrate, through concrete actions, its will to fulfill
its promises heretofore in a serious manner. The Chairman’s Summary
for the meeting expressly condemns North Korea’s uranium enrichment
activities as a violation of Security Council Resolutions. Regarding
Iran, Minister Matsumoto stated that the dual-track approach of
dialogue and pressure remains valid, and that Japan intends to
support the efforts of the EU3+3.
As regards Africa, Minister Matsumoto described Japan’s promotion of
Africa’s development, consolidation of peace, advancement of good
governance, and other aspects of the TICAD process, emphasizing
human resources development. He also stated that Japan is
cooperating in the strengthening of judicial capabilities for
countries surrounding Somalia through its contributions to a related
trust fund as an anti-piracy measure.
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