Courtesy Call on Prime Minister Kishida by Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweara, Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO)
October 19, 2022
[Provisional translation]
On October 19, commencing at around 5:20 p.m., for approximately 10 minutes, Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio, received a courtesy call from Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The overview of the courtesy call is as follows.
1. At the outset, Prime Minister Kishida welcomed Director-General Okonjo-Iweala’s visit to Japan, and appreciated the outcomes achieved at MC12, which was held in June this year, as well as Director-General’s leadership. Prime Minister Kishida also stated that Japan would like to continue to actively contribute in discussions in the WTO.
2. Director-General Okonjo-Iweala stated that the WTO is faced with various challenges but it must achieve outcomes. Director-General Okonjo-Iweala stressed the importance of cooperation among Members, and expressed her expectation for the role of Japan as the G7 Presidency next year.
3. Prime Minister Kishida and Director-General Okonjo-Iweala confirmed that, while the environment surrounding international trade has been changing, Japan and the WTO will continue to work closely towards MC13 so that the WTO is able to perform its functions that meet current day demand.
