In a Paris corridor on the sidelines of a gathering of the world's wealthy democracies, Japan's foreign minister and the American secretary of state took stock of a shared Pacific future. Their meeting, the first between them since American voters delivered a sharp rebuke to the Republican Party in the midterms, was less a turning point than a reaffirmation: the alliance will keep working to deter and respond to threats across the Indo-Pacific. Much of their attention was already drifting toward the regional summit ahead, where the great powers may or may not meet, and where the promises of co
Japan and U.S. Foreign Chiefs Pledge Stronger Indo-Pacific Alliance Ahead of APEC Summit Talks
Coordination ahead of summits that may not happen
Mark
Why does a short meeting on the edge of a G7 gathering matter?
Mimi
It was the first Japan-U.S. foreign minister meeting since the Republican midterm defeat last week. Both sides still reaffirmed the same line on deterrence in the Indo-Pacific.
Mark
And the APEC angle?
Mimi
They agreed to coordinate closely ahead of possible U.S.-China and U.S.-China-Russia summits on the sidelines of next week's APEC summit. Japan wants to be in step with Washington before those happen.
Luke
Note the word possible. Neither summit is confirmed in this report, so the coordination is preparation for meetings that may not occur.
Mark
What about the International Criminal Court sanctions?
Mimi
They agreed to continue communication on them. That is all the report says.
Luke
Right, and it doesn't say what Japan's view is or whether the two sides differ. Continued communication could mean many things.
Mark
Did the midterm result shape the talks?
Luke
The report only notes the timing. It doesn't say the election came up, so we shouldn't imply it did.
Mimi
Motegi also met the French, Italian and British foreign ministers about EU industrial base efforts and the Japan-Britain-Italy fighter jet project.
Luke
And the deterrence pledge has no concrete measures attached here. It's a statement of commitment, not a new policy.
O Pulso
- A fresh American election result hangs over a diplomatic meeting that was never meant to settle the big questions.
- Possible summits between Washington, Beijing and Moscow loom over APEC, but no dates or agendas have been confirmed.
- Tokyo and Washington are racing to align their positions before the regional summit, pledging close coordination.
- The alliance reaffirms its deterrence commitments while leaving the concrete measures undefined and the outcome open.
In a Paris corridor on the sidelines of a gathering of the world's wealthy democracies, Japan's foreign minister and the American secretary of state took stock of a shared Pacific future. Their meeting, the first between them since American voters delivered a sharp rebuke to the Republican Party in the midterms, was less a turning point than a reaffirmation: the alliance will keep working to deter and respond to threats across the Indo-Pacific. Much of their attention was already drifting toward the regional summit ahead, where the great powers may or may not meet, and where the promises of coordination made in Paris will first be put to the test.
On Monday in Paris, on the margins of a Group of Seven meeting, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi met U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The two confirmed their commitment to strengthening the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-U.S. alliance across the Indo-Pacific.
The timing carried weight. It was their first conversation since Republicans suffered a heavy defeat in last week's U.S. midterm elections. The report does not say whether that result came up, only that the talks followed it.
Most of the discussion looked ahead to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit next week. The two agreed to coordinate closely, since summits between the United States and China, and possibly involving Russia, may occur on the sidelines. Both remain possibilities, not confirmed events.
Motegi also met the foreign ministers of France, Italy and Britain, discussing the European Union's efforts to strengthen the region's industrial base and the joint development of a next-generation fighter jet by Japan, Britain and Italy.
The report is brief. It describes commitments to coordinate rather than specific new measures, and what the alliance will actually do, or what Washington may raise with Beijing or Moscow, remains open until the summit.
On Monday in Paris, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi sat down with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the margins of a Group of Seven meeting of wealthy democracies. The two confirmed that their countries are committed to strengthening the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-U.S. alliance in the Indo-Pacific region.
The meeting carried a particular timing. It was the first conversation between the two countries' top diplomats since last week's U.S. midterm elections, in which Republicans suffered what the report describes as a crushing defeat. The source does not say whether the result came up in the room, only that the talks took place in its aftermath.
Much of the discussion looked ahead to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit next week. Motegi and Rubio agreed to coordinate closely before it, because summits between the United States and China, and possibly among the United States, China and Russia, may take place on the sidelines. The report frames both as possibilities rather than confirmed events, and no dates or agendas are given.
The two men also agreed to keep communicating on U.S. sanctions against the International Criminal Court. The report offers no detail on the content of those sanctions or on any position Japan has taken, only that the channel between the two governments will remain open on the subject.
Paris gave Motegi a chance to meet other counterparts as well. Separately from his session with Rubio, he held talks with the foreign ministers of France, Italy and Britain. With them he exchanged views on the European Union's efforts to strengthen the region's industrial base. He also discussed the joint development of a next-generation fighter jet by Japan, Britain and Italy, a three-nation project that ties Tokyo's defense industry to two European partners.
The report, from Jiji Press, is brief and describes commitments and agreements to coordinate rather than specific new measures. What the alliance will do to bolster deterrence, and what Washington might discuss with Beijing or Moscow at APEC, are left open. The next marker is the summit next week, where the coordination Motegi and Rubio promised will first be tested.
Citações Notáveis
The two ministers confirmed their commitment to strengthen the alliance's deterrence and response capabilities in the Indo-Pacific.— Jiji Press report on Motegi and Rubio's talks
Quer a matéria completa?
Leia o original em Manila Bulletin ↗
World & Diplomacy