[Provisional Translation]
[Opening statement by Prime Minister Takaichi]
Thank you all for attending. I just finished delivering an address at the United Nations General Assembly.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of Japan’s accession to the United Nations.
The post-war free and open international order, centered on that United Nations, is currently being greatly shaken.
We also hear concerns suggesting that the United Nations has been failing to fulfill its role in promoting peace and stability around the world.
And yet despite that context -- no; indeed, precisely because of that situation -- I stated that Japan's commitment toward multilateralism, and toward the United Nations, is unwavering.
I have been promoting strong Japanese diplomacy ever since I took office.
In May this year, I announced the ”Updated Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)” and I am pursuing strategic diplomacy in an integrated manner.
Japan, as a peace-loving nation, will fulfill its responsibilities in order to restore trust in the UN, taking the 70 years we have walked alongside the United Nations as the cornerstone.
The General Debate address I just delivered served as an ideal opportunity to emphasize our determination to do so and communicate the concrete contributions Japan has made, from two perspectives.
The first concerns Japan's responses to challenges arising from escalating international tensions.
The situation in the Middle East has been growing increasingly tense, and free and safe navigation is increasingly under challenge in the Strait of Hormuz, which is an international public good.
Japan, in cooperation with the international community, has been continuing to engage in diplomatic efforts with a view to achieving an early de-escalation and stabilization of the situation across the Middle East.
I also announced that under the Updated Free and Open Indo-Pacific, in order to strengthen supply chain resilience for energy and critical goods, in addition to the “Partnership On Wide Energy and Resources Resilience Asia (POWERR Asia)," Japan is now working with Gulf countries to formulate a comprehensive cooperation plan.
I called for the solidarity of the international community toward realizing “a world without nuclear weapons” and made an appeal for the complete denuclearization of North Korea and for the abductions issue to be resolved immediately.
I stated that any attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force or coercion must never be tolerated anywhere in the world.
Japan attaches great importance to the rule of law in the settlement of any disputes.
This is demonstrated by Japan’s consistent support for, and its contributions of judges to, various international judicial organs, such as the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS).
The second perspective involves Japan’s commitment toward multilateralism, centered on the United Nations.
I highlighted Japan's solidarity with the Global South, forged through the efforts Japan has promoted to address global challenges.
Moreover, I urged all countries to take serious action to tackle climate change, since climate action and economic growth can go hand-in-hand by harnessing Japan’s technological capabilities.
Japan is striving to become the world’s leading nation in disaster risk reduction. I also emphasized Japan's commitment to contribute to global efforts in disaster risk reduction by sharing our expertise and technology as well as by newly appointing a Minister of State for International Disaster Risk Reduction Cooperation.
I announced to the international community that we intend to host an AI Summit in Japan at the earliest opportunity to accelerate the realization of "trustworthy AI."
To address the challenges facing the international community, the UN must be reborn as "a more resilient and effective United Nations."
I strongly advocated the necessity of reforming the Security Council, which has become dysfunctional.
I also endorsed the swift review of the Charter of the United Nations, specifically the deletion of the so-called “enemy States” clauses.
Finally, I emphasized that in the 70 years since we became a UN Member State, Japan has consistently contributed to the peace and prosperity of the international community as a peace-loving nation under its exclusively defense-oriented policy, and that this policy will remain unchanged in the future.
Taking advantage of this visit to New York, I held meetings with United Nations Secretary-General Guterres and the leaders of several countries.
In my meeting with Secretary-General Guterres, I expressed my support for the UN reform that Mr. Guterres has been working to advance and underlined once again the urgency of reforming the UN Security Council, which does not reflect the current realities of the international community.
Besides this, I strongly advocated an increase in Japanese staff members at UN-related agencies.
In response, Secretary-General Guterres expressed his gratitude for Japan's strong commitment and actions in support of multilateralism.
U.S. President Trump and I had a candid discussion on regional affairs, including the Japan-U.S. Alliance and the Free and Open Indo-Pacific, and we agreed to further advance our cooperation regarding the economy, security, and economic security in fields including AI, semi-conductors, and critical minerals.
Amid the increasingly severe security environment in Asia as well, I am certain that my meeting today with President Trump, at this precise timing, demonstrated to the world the strength of the Japan-U.S. Alliance.
I am determined to further reinforce the unwavering Japan-U.S. Alliance, in order for Japan and the United States to become strong and prosperous together, and also in order to foster the peace and stability of the region.
In addition, following our telephone call last month, I held a discussion with President Erdoğan of Türkiye in a summit meeting where we discussed the current situation in the Middle East as well as our bilateral relations.
With regard to the situation in the Middle East, I pointed out that it is extremely important to achieve an early de-escalation and stabilization of the situation across the Middle East and ensure free and safe navigation, without any additional costs, in the Strait of Hormuz.
In response, President Erdoğan expressed his support for Japan's position, and we agreed that Japan and Türkiye will engage in close coordination.
Moreover, I held a summit meeting with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine.
I expressed my stance that Japan stands with Ukraine and will, together with the international community, continue to support Ukraine, including in the energy sector in preparation for the coming winter, and continue to impose sanctions against Russia.
In reply, President Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude for Japan’s support to date and explained efforts being made by Ukraine.
In addition to these, I had informal discussions with Prime Minister Albanese of Australia, Prime Minister Burnham of the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar of Trinidad and Tobago, and Prime Minister Tobgay of Bhutan. Our discussions were a good opportunity to confirm that we will further promote our bilateral relations.
From now until the end of the year, the ASEAN, APEC, and G20 meetings will be held, one after the other.
I will leverage this series of diplomatic occasions to deepen Japan's collaboration with other countries and build momentum for taking an aligned response in tackling the challenges facing the international community.
I will conclude my opening statement here. Thank you very much.