Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi decided to attend the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held in India on the 3rd of the Quad (a consultative body of four countries: the United States, Japan, Australia and India). Voices of concern about the diplomatic repercussions emerged as the foreign ministers of the 20 major countries (G20) decided not to attend the foreign ministers’ meeting on the 2nd because they prioritized the schedule of the National Assembly.

According to Japanese public NHK and Asahi Shimbun on the 2nd, Foreign Minister Hayashi, who postponed attending the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting, will depart for India on the night of the 2nd to attend the quad foreign ministers’ meeting. The meeting is expected to focus on once again sharing the need to maintain and strengthen the international order.

The quad foreign ministers’ meeting will be held after the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting. Foreign Minister Hayashi plans to depart for the site on the night of the 2nd after questioning the House of Councilors Budget Committee.

To this end, the ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party, and the main opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party, agreed on the 1st not to require foreign minister Hayashi to attend the House of Councilors Budget Committee on the 3rd.

Kotaro Nogami, chairman of the National Assembly Countermeasures Committee of the House of Councilors, expressed his intention to prioritize the diplomatic schedule, saying, “I thought about the importance of the quad.” Foreign Minister Hayashi gave up attending the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in order to attend the Budget Committee of the House of Councilors on the 1st and 2nd, attended by the prime minister and former cabinet members.

The quad foreign ministers’ meeting is expected to confirm cooperation to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific with China in mind, which is strengthening Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its maritime advances.

While China is also active in military activities in conjunction with Russia, Foreign Minister Hayashi and others at the quad meeting are expected to share opinions on the situation in the Indo-Pacific region and reaffirm that they strongly oppose attempts to change the status quo through force.

Meanwhile, for the deliberation of the House of Councilors (Senate) Budget Committee, Foreign Minister Hayashi suspended his participation in the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, and Foreign Minister Kenji Yamada (Vice Minister) attended the G20 meeting.

Regarding Foreign Minister Hayashi’s absence from the G20 meeting, the Japanese government and the political circles of the ruling and opposition parties are pointing out that “with Japan serving as the chair country of the G7 (seven major countries), Japanese diplomacy is hit hard.”

NHK reported that Foreign Minister Hayashi wanted to once again share the need to maintain and strengthen the international order at the Quad meeting, taking these points into consideration and linking it to the G7 Hiroshima Summit (summit) in May.

Source: Donga