Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Q&As

(Abridged)

REPORTER: I have a question regarding the APEC meeting that will be held in Manila next week. It has been reported that the Minister of Foreign Affairs of China visited the chair country, the Philippines, on the 10th, and that the Chinese and the Philippine Governments shared the view that they would not proactively raise the issue of the South China Sea at the meeting. On the other hand, the U.S. Government has said it could not imagine this issue not being discussed. We are beginning to see differences in views among the three countries. First of all, what do you make of these differences?  

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: First, I understand that the U.S. Government official’s comments were that the issues surrounding the South China Sea would not be on APEC’s official agenda but that he expected the issues to be discussed at the various meetings that will be held on the sidelines of the APEC meeting. That said, the issues surrounding the South China Sea are directly linked to the peace and stability of the region, and are legitimate concerns of the entire international community, including Japan. Japan considers it critical to emphasize the importance of the rule of law, and in this regard, we will emphasize the importance of the rule of law at a variety of opportunities, including the East Asia Summit to be held next week.

(Abridged)