One of the results of Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio’s state visit to the US, the first official visit to the US by a Japanese prime minister in nine years, was the release of the Global Partners for the Future joint leader’s statement. The statement positions Japan and the US as global partners based on a relationship of trust and friendship and reaffirms that the Japan-US alliance is the cornerstone of peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. The statement also indicates a stance of upholding a free and open international order based on the rule of law by further strengthening defe ..read more

As part of the 2023-2024 FPCJ Fellowship Program, Ms. Morgan Chalfant, a reporter for Semafor, visited Japan from March 10 to 16.   Semafor is a news site founded in 2022 by a former Bloomberg CEO and former columnist for The New York Times.   While in Japan, Ms. Chalfant covered Japan’s strengthening of its defensive capabilities and policies towards China, Japan-US relations, and Japan’s semiconductor industry, speaking with government officials and experts.   After the program finished, Ms. Chalfant commented that even though this was her first time reporting outside of an En ..read more

Prime Minister KISHIDA will make an official visit to the United States  for a Japan-US summit meeting with US President Joe Biden on April 10.   The FPCJ has invited Mr. ARIMA Yutaka, Assistant Minister (Ambassador), Director-General of North American Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, MOFA.   The briefing was attended by journalists from Belgium, China, Denmark, Germany, Russia, Korea, Singapore, UK and US. Handout ■Date: April 4, 2024 (Thu), 17:30-18:00 ■Theme: Prime Minister KISHIDA’s official visit to the United States of America ■Briefer: Mr. ARI ..read more

Security in East Asia: How Is Foreign Media Reporting on the Situation in Taiwan and Japan? Supported by Ministry of Foreign Affairs 1. Webinar Goals and Participants On January 13, 2024, Taiwan held a presidential election due to the end of President Tsai Ing-wen’s term. This election received attention from around the world due to the likelihood of the results having a major impact on the future of relations between Taiwan and mainland China, the reunification of Taiwan and China, and security in East Asia, including the security of Japan.   This webinar invited leading foreign journal ..read more

Prime Minister KISHIDA will make an official visit to the United States  for a Japan-US summit meeting with US President Joe Biden on April 10.   The FPCJ has invited Mr. ARIMA Yutaka, Assistant Minister (Ambassador), Director-General of North American Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, MOFA.   FPCJ supporting members and embassy representatives may also participate in the briefing as observers (admission free).   ■Date: April 4, 2024 (Thu), 17:30-18:00 ■Theme: Prime Minister KISHIDA’s official visit to the United States of America ■Briefer: Mr. AR ..read more

In this March, 13 years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake and the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident. This tour visited areas that have made a new start with the lifting of evacuation orders, covering efforts by companies to create jobs and contribute to rebuilding the region, and residents doing their best to preserve local traditional industries. The tour also visited two entrepreneurs who moved to Fukushima from outside the prefecture to learn about their efforts towards community building and stimulating local industries.   A total of six journalist ..read more

With growing global division amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the conflict between Israel and Hamas, emerging and developing countries of the Global South such as India, Brazil, and South Africa are demonstrating greater presence in the international community. The Global South is projected to account for two-thirds of the world’s population in 2050, with a total nominal GDP greater than that of the US or China, and they will be vital in solving various challenges facing the world such as food issues, energy transition, and climate change.While providing support appropriate to the circums ..read more

As part of the 2023-2024 FPCJ Fellowship Program, Ms. Laura Kelly, the foreign policy reporter for The Hill, visited Japan from February 25 to March 2. The Hill is a daily paper and online media company founded in Washington D.C. in 1994, and is one of the most important media specializing in politics in Washington.   Ms. Kelly covered Japanese diplomacy and defense policies during this visit to Japan, speaking with government officials and experts in Tokyo. In the second half of the program, she visited Kyushu and Okinawa, covering the Kagoshima Coast Guard Office of the 10th Regional Co ..read more

With revisions to work style reform laws taking effect in April 2024, overtime work in the construction industry will be capped and penalties put in place, so it will no longer be possible to make workers work as much overtime as they have up until now. The construction industry’s chronic reliance on long working hours has long been pointed out as a problem, and as it stands construction workers do not necessarily even have two days off a week, which is common sense in other industries. In order to regulate overtime work, increased efficiency is vital, and with the labor shortage due to the de ..read more

On February 15, North Korea’s Kim Yo Jong, a deputy department director of the Worker’s Party of Korea, released a statement via the state-run Korean Central News Agency calling for closer relations with Japan. The statement suggested that if Japan “does not lay such a stumbling block as the already settled abduction issue in the future way for mending the bilateral relations,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida could visit North Korea. However, this indicates that North Korea considers the abduction issue already resolved.   The Japanese Government has indicated a desire to engage in talks to ..read more