The visit of the Japanese Foreign Minister to Argentina: “We aspire to joint development with Latin America”

Japanese chancellor hayashi yoshimasa He has been on an official visit to Argentina since Monday. He does so as part of his tour in Latin America, which, in addition to our country, includes Mexico, Ecuador, Brazil (Sao Paulo and Brasilia), and then also the United States.

In 2018, Foreign Minister Kono Taro came to the country on an official visit, in 2021 MOTEGUI Toshimitsu, and the current Foreign Minister will be the third Japanese Foreign Minister to set foot on Argentine soil in less than 5 years, a symbol of depth of bilateral relations between the two countries which are celebrating this year 125 years of friendship.

clarion He interviewed the official in writing and these are his responses

-Japan has an important relationship with China, like all of Asia, but at the same time it seems to see the People’s Republic as a growing threat. How does your country handle this conflict?

-China’s stance regarding its foreign relations as well as its military actions seriously concern Japan and the international community. They constitute the greatest strategic challenge to date for the peace and security of Japan, but also for the peace and stability of the international community and the strengthening of the international order based on the rule of law.

At the same time, both China and Japan must fulfill the great responsibility entrusted to them for the peace and prosperity of the region and the international community. In this regard, Japan will firmly uphold and assert its position and strongly urge China to take responsible measures, cooperating with China on matters of common concern. It is important for both countries to build “a constructive and stable bilateral relationship” through mutual efforts.

What are the prospects of this dispute? To what extent does your country believe there is a real danger of China invading Taiwan?

– Peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are important not only for Japan’s security, but also for the stability of the international community. On this issue, Japan’s position remains the same as before, which is to favor a peaceful solution through dialogue between the parties.

Japan will convey this position directly to the PRC and considering that it is a shared position with other countries, Japan will take steps to spread the idea clearly through the different channels available.

What is the main threat that Japan fears from North Korea and what is the scope of that threat?

-The series of provocative actions by North Korea, which continue with unprecedented frequency and manner, pose a serious challenge to the international community. The number of missiles fired by North Korea in the past year has been a record number, being more than 70 missiles.

Of those, 56 were ballistic, a figure that is more than double that of any other year to date. (There were 23 in 2016.) North Korea’s nuclear and missile activities, including ballistics that have flown over Japan and ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles) that have landed in our Exclusive Economic Zone, pose a serious and imminent threat to the security of our country and endanger the peace and security of the region and of the international community. Japan will never allow this.

In this regard, Japan will continue to work closely with the United States and South Korea, and in cooperation with the international community, to promote the full implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions and to achieve the denuclearization of Korea of the North.

– Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government announced days ago that Japan would double its military spending over the next five years. Is that measure a warning to China or, really, the North Korean regime?

-The international community has entered a new era in which coordination and division on the one hand, cooperation and confrontation on the other, are intertwined in a complex way. While the most violent manifestation of the “split” is Russia’s abusive act of invading Ukraine, it is no stranger to Japan, which finds itself surrounded by moves such as increased nuclear and missile capabilities, rapid growth of military and attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force, which are taking place in the countries and regions surrounding it.

At this crossroads in the history of the international community, Japan will display strong diplomacy through proactive actions to establish a peaceful and stable international environment, making best use of its overall national power, including defense capabilities.

In this context, it is especially necessary to reduce the likelihood of armed attacks themselves by strengthening Japan’s deterrence and reaction capability. For this reason, the Japanese government has decided that the budget allocated to strengthening defense capabilities and complementary measures is equal to 2% of current GDP in fiscal year 2027.

Diplomatic efforts remain absolutely necessary in the current context. Strengthening defense capabilities is an inevitable measure to support the diplomatic side, giving it greater power of persuasion.

– After the pandemic, the social and economic crisis in the southern hemisphere has widened with a worsening of the prospects, particularly in Latin America. To what extent can powers such as Japan influence these critical scenarios in which the influence of the People’s Republic of China is also growing?

-The spread of the novel coronavirus has placed the international community as a whole in grave danger, particularly affecting vulnerable sectors of society. The Russian invasion of Ukraine deepened the economic blow, striking when the world was still recovering from the effects of the pandemic.

I consider it essential to address this common challenge in coordination with the international community, while seeking stable social and economic development in Latin America, which is an important goal for Japan.

In this sense, it is worth noting the help against the pandemic that Japan has provided to Latin America. In 2021 and 2022, Japan, in addition to providing assistance to a total of 14 countries in the region for the implementation of cold chains, has also offered assistance in the acquisition of medical equipment and capacity building in the health sector.

Japan’s focus on cooperation for the region has always been and always will be to work together for its sustainable development, not seeking short-term benefits, but paying attention to human resource development, narrowing the socio-economic gap, and improving the budget accounts, among other issues.

In the economic field, Latin America is an attractive region for many countries, and this attraction has been renewed and accentuated in the current international context, due to the importance of the region in terms of availability of natural resources, energy and food security. . In this context, Japan is willing to relaunch trade and investment with Latin America, aspiring to a “joint development” based on the fundamental values ​​it shares with the countries of the region.

For Japan, GX (Green Transformation) and DX (Digital Transformation) are of great importance due to their potential to generate new growth. In this sense, Japan has the vocation of continuing to cooperate with and for Latin America in various ways to achieve inclusive and sustainable development. The purpose of my visit is to convey these ideas to my friends in Latin America to work together.