Video Message by Prime Minister Ishiba regarding the G-ZERO Summit

Hello, everyone. I am Shigeru Ishiba, Prime Minister of Japan. I would like to congratulate you all on the holding of this G-ZERO Summit.

It is very encouraging that, at this seventh summit, national and international leaders from industry, government and academia, including Dr. Ian Bremmer, President of Eurasia Group, Mr. Tokura, Chairman of the Japan Business Federation, and Mr. Niinami, Executive Director of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives, will discuss Japan's role as we face the most severe and complex security environment since World War II.

We are strongly committed to protecting Japan from the rapidly changing security environment. Aggression against Ukraine by Russia remains underway even now, and war continues to rage. With the situation there coupling with the situation in the Middle East and other factors, the international community is becoming increasingly characterized by division and confrontation. Competition for technological hegemony is also becoming more intense.

As I stated in my policy speech at the recent Diet, consistent with the vision of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific, Japan will uphold the international order based on the rule of law and lead efforts to further ensure safety and stability in the region.

Divisions and confrontations are intensifying in the economic realm as well. In order to strengthen the rules-based international economic order, we will work together with like-minded countries and the Global South to build resilient and reliable supply chains and to coordinate industrial policies in growing fields such as GX(Green Transformation), DX(Digital Transformation) and economic security.

Specifically, I recently attended the ASEAN-related summit meetings on my first overseas visit since taking office and convened the AZEC, or Asia Zero Emission Community, Leaders Meeting as the chairperson in order to advance GX(Green Transformation) in Asia. We have agreed on the Action Plan for Next Decade and will proceed with concrete initiatives.

Under such circumstances, I believe that the role Japan plays in the international community in diplomacy and the economy is huge. I hope that lively discussions among the participants today will be a step toward a better future. Thank you very much.