Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (AM) (Excerpt)

(On Speaker Nancy Pelosi of the U.S. House of Representatives visiting Taiwan)

Peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are of importance for not only the security of Japan but also the stability of the international community as a whole. The Government of Japan’s consistent position has been that we expect the issues surrounding Taiwan to be resolved peacefully through dialogue.

From this perspective, Japan has concerns regarding the series of military activities announced by China and once again we strongly encourage the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues.

Moreover, part of Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) lies inside the waters announced as the staging area for military exercises to be conducted by China from noon on August 4, and Japan has informed the Chinese side of our concerns, also based on the kind of military activities to be conducted, namely live-fire exercises.

(On Speaker Pelosi's schedule during her visit to Japan)

We are still coordinating the schedule and the meeting participants for Speaker Pelosi during her visit to Japan. In any event, this will be Speaker Pelosi's first visit to Japan in seven years, since she was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun Award in 2015, and we welcome her visit as a further strengthening of human exchanges, including parliamentary exchanges between Japan and the United States.