Prime Minister Kishida’s meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Guterres (Summary)

On May 21, commencing at around 4:22 p.m. for approximately 30 minutes, Mr. KISHIDA Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan, met with H.E. Mr. António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, on the occasion of his visit to Japan to participate in the G7 Hiroshima Summit. The overview of the meeting is as follows. 
 
1. G7 Hiroshima Summit　

Prime Minister Kishida welcomed the Secretary-General’s visit to Hiroshima and stated that with Secretary-General’s participation in the G7 Hiroshima Summit’s Outreach sessions, they were able to have a meaningful discussion regarding various issues facing the international community including developing countries.
 
2. Nuclear Disarmament　

Regarding nuclear disarmament, Prime Minister Kishida emphasized the importance of maintaining and strengthening the NPT. Prime Minister Kishida expressed his pleasure at the opening of applications for the “Youth Leader Fund for a World Without Nuclear Weapons”, and stated that through a visit to Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the youth who would be the future leaders and the creation of a global network among them, he hoped the program would deepen youth’s understanding of the reality of nucler weapons use, leading to achieving “a world without nuclear weapons.” In response, Secretary-General Guterres stated that he valued the opening of the applications for the “Youth Leader Fund for a World Without Nuclear Weapons” as well as Japan’s contributions thus far, and hoped to work even more closely with Japan on nuclear disarmament.
 
3. Strengthening the functions of the UN including Security Council reform　

Both sides shared their views on the importance of the UN reform and strengthening of its functions. Prime Minister Kishida also noted of the importance of the free and open international order based on the rule of law and stated that he would like to cooperate towards the strengthening of the UN functions including the UN Security Council reform. Secretary-General Guterres stated that he hopes to work closely with Japan.
 
4. Global issues
　
Both sides exchanged views regarding cooperation on global issues. Prime Minister Kishida expressed his hope for the leadership of Secretary-General Guterres to mainstreaming human security. Both sides also shared their views on working together in collaboration on various occasions including the SDG Summit.