Press Conference by Prime Minister ISHIBA Shigeru after Attending the APEC Leaders' Meeting and G20 Rio de Janeiro Summit Meeting

Good morning, everyone. As I wrap up this visit to Peru and Brazil, I would like to share my thoughts with you.

During this trip, I attended the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Leaders' Meeting in Lima and the G20 Rio de Janeiro Summit.

At APEC, we held very fruitful discussions about what sustainable economic growth should look like in the Asia-Pacific region, which drives the global economy as the "growth center of the world." At the G20 summit, our productive discussions focused on coordination for resolving global-level issues as well as the necessity of building global governance in which all G20 members share responsibility. On this trip I also announced Japan's candidacy to chair APEC in 2031.

Apart from that, I took this opportunity to hold candid discussions with national leaders from around the world, notably the United States, the Republic of Korea (ROK), and China. I also used this chance to establish or deepen personal relationships with my counterparts.

I have summarized the outcomes of this trip into three areas, which I will outline for you.

The first is the area of diplomacy and security. The security environment surrounding Japan, including North Korea's launch of an ICBM-class ballistic missile at the end of October, is becoming increasingly severe. In this context, grounded in my determination to fully defend Japan, I engaged in candid exchanges of views with the leaders of allies and like-minded countries.

During my meeting with President Biden during this trip, we agreed to further develop the unwavering Japan-U.S. alliance and also to continue and strengthen our strategic collaboration globally across a wide range of fields.

With President Yoon of the ROK, we were of the same mind that, since next year marks the 60th anniversary of the normalization of Japan-ROK relations, we will make it a year when we hold summit talks as frequently as possible and advance Japan-ROK bilateral relations dramatically.

We held a Japan-U.S-ROK trilateral summit. As for our trilateral efforts, we have been making concrete progress in our cooperation with regard to security, including our responses to North Korea. Against the backdrop of Russia-North Korea military cooperation progressing, we agreed to continue and strengthen our strategic collaboration.

I also had a trilateral meeting with Prime Minister Starmer of the UK and Prime Minister Meloni of Italy. We agreed to continue to cooperate closely to achieve our goal of deploying the first of our next-generation fighter aircraft by 2035. I also had a meeting with Prime Minister Trudeau of Canada, which will assume the G7 presidency next year.

In my meeting with President Xi Jinping of China, we confirmed our two countries' broad direction of comprehensively promoting a “Mutually Beneficial Relationship Based on Common Strategic Interests” and building “constructive and stable Japan-China relations.” I also raised outstanding issues of concern for Japan, including the intensification of activities by the Chinese People's Liberation Army and the incident in which a Japanese School student in Shenzhen was killed. President Xi responded that China will ensure the safety of all foreign nationals in China, including Japanese citizens. I called on China to implement at an early time the restoration of imports of Japanese aquatic products. I also called for the early restart of consultations between our nations' diplomatic authorities regarding the resumption of Japanese beef exports and the expansion of exports of Japanese polished rice to China.

I feel we had an engaging discussion. Even though there are differences in views between Japan and China on various matters, President Xi and I were fully in concert with each other on the matter of continuing to hold meetings repeatedly over time. I want us to partake in frequent communication and mutual visits at all levels, including at the summit level, and make joint efforts to reduce issues and concerns and increase cooperation and coordination.

During this trip, I used the two meetings of APEC and then the G20 to underscore the importance of the free and open international order based on the rule of law. Specifically, I made clear statements saying that we must put a stop to Russia's aggression against Ukraine and realize a just and lasting peace in Ukraine at the earliest possible time. Likewise, regarding the situation in the Middle East, I stated that all parties must exercise restraint and comply with international law as steps towards calming the situation down at an early time.

In particular, at the G20, pointing out the fact that the current UN Security Council has not successfully responded to these issues, I made an appeal for the necessity of reforming the Security Council. Furthermore, I stated that the role to be played by the United Nations General Assembly should be examined.

Second among the outcomes of this trip was cooperation between economic and social concerns. From the standpoint of ensuring the growth of the Japanese economy, it will be necessary to actively incorporate into Japan those things that foster growth in the Asia-Pacific region. For that reason, during these meetings I spoke mainly regarding two points, with a view to ensuring a free and open, fair and transparent trade and investment environment while promoting the sustainable and inclusive economic growth of the Asia-Pacific region.

As my first point, I made an appeal for the importance of the qualitative deepening of economic partnerships based on international rules as well as the importance of maintaining and strengthening the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core. In particular, WTO reform, notably reform of the dispute resolution system, is a matter of urgency.

As my second point, with regard to challenges all countries face in common, such as decarbonization, digitalization of the economy, disaster prevention, and food security, I indicated Japan's intention to share its experiences to date and its knowledge as we search for solutions together and grow together. As specific examples, I introduced the vision of the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) as well as Japan's contributions to international rule-making for the digitalization of the economy.

In particular, I myself have positioned disaster prevention as a matter of the highest priority domestically. I stated that by promoting investment in high-quality infrastucture and sharing our specialized knowledge gained through the experience of many disasters, Japan will contribute to countries and regions as they overcome their vulnerabilities.

Also, at the G20 I announced that Japan will participate actively in the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty advocated for by President Lula of Brazil. There are many fields in which the G20 should lead international collaboration, and that role has now become even more critical. I appealed vigorously for the necessity of building global governance in which responsibility is held by all G20 members in common, and the idea of responsibilities being held in common was also included in the Leaders' Declaration.*

The third area of outcomes for this trip was in Japan's relationship with Nikkei (Japanese immigrants and descendants) communities in Latin America. I visited Brazil for the first time in 1988. That was when I had the opportunity to accompany His Imperial Highness Prince Akishino during his visit to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Japanese immigration to Brazil. At the time I had only been elected to the Diet once, and I remember that I was tremendously impressed at the excitement that could be found here in Brazil as well as the strong bonds of friendship Japan had with members of the Nikkei community.

More than 30 years have now passed since that visit. So, another major fruitful outcome of this trip was to once again stand here in South America and have the opportunity to meet members of the Nikkei communities in each of my destinations of Peru and then Brazil. I also offered my sincere condolences at the grave of former President Fujimori, the first person of Japanese ancestry to serve as the president of Peru. I prayed once again for the repose of his soul. Members of the Nikkei communities are important bridges for friendly relations between Japan and other countries and I hope to continue to strengthen our cooperation with Nikkei communities going forward.

In Peru, where I was invited as an official visit, the Joint Statement that President Boluarte and I agreed upon, as well as our Roadmap focusing on the next ten years, set out guidelines for the development of Japan-Peru relations.

With President Lula of Brazil, in the lead-up to next year, which marks the 130th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our nations, we agreed to strengthen our bilateral ties, notably in terms of the economy, as well as our cooperation in the international arena. We will work to make the strategic global partnership between our two countries more solid.

It was exactly 50 years ago that then-Prime Minister TANAKA Kakuei visited Brazil, where Japan and Brazil signed an agreement on the Cerrado Development Program. As you here are well aware, the Cerrado Development Program, which over the course of 25 years transformed barren land into a major base for soybean production, has contributed to global food security while also serving as a symbol of the good bilateral relationship that exists between Japan and Brazil even now. I believe it is the efforts that have cultivated these friendly relations that serve as the foundation for the peace and prosperity of the world, and by extension, the peace and prosperity of Japan.

I intend to protect the peace Japan enjoys, further ensure the stability of the Indo-Pacific region, and continue to proactively and ambitiously undertake summit-level diplomacy that seeks to uphold a free and open international order based on the rule of law.

I will end my opening statement here.

*Note: Here, Prime Minister Ishiba said "summit meeting," but he intended to say "Leaders' Declaration." The transcript has been edited to show the intended meaning.