Courtesy Call on Prime Minister ISHIBA Shigeru by Foreign Ministers of China and the ROK (Summary)
On March 21, commencing at around 6:10 p.m. for approximately 25 minutes, Mr. ISHIBA Shigeru, Prime Minister of Japan, received a courtesy call from Mr. WANG Yi, Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China and Mr. CHO Tae-Yul, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, who are visiting Japan to attend the Japan-China-ROK Trilateral Foreign Minister’s Meeting. Mr. IWAYA Takeshi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, was also present during the courtesy call.
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Prime Minister Ishiba welcomed the two foreign ministers’ visit to Japan, and stated that both China and the ROK are extremely important neighboring countries of Japan, and that although difficult problems sometimes arise because we are neighboring countries, Japan hopes to engage in dialogues including on issues of concern and build a future-oriented cooperative relationship thorough pragmatic diplomacy based on national interests. Prime Minister Ishiba also noted that the three countries have the significant influence and responsibilities for regional peace and prosperity of the region, and our efforts to address common challenges and promote future-oriented cooperation will benefit not only peoples of the three countries but also contribute to the world.
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Prime Minister Ishiba expressed his expectation for meaningful discussions at the Trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, and stated that he looks forward to welcoming the leaders from China and the ROK on the occasion of the next Trilateral Summit.
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Taking this opportunity, Prime Minister Ishiba also asked for continued understanding and cooperation of China and the ROK regarding the immediate resolution of the abductions issue.
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After the joint courtesy call, Prime Minister Ishiba received short individual courtesy calls by Minister CHO and Minister WANG, and exchanged views on respective bilateral relations.
