"Strengthening US-Japan Alliance Regardless of US Presidential Election Results"
Hayashi, Kamikawa, and Others Also Say "Kishida Cabinet's Diplomacy Will Be Continued"
Candidates running in the LDP presidential election, which is effectively the selection of Japan's next prime minister, have expressed their intention to continue the foreign policy of the current Kishida Fumio Cabinet.
Shinjiro Koizumi, former Minister of the Environment and a leading candidate for the next prime minister, said at a joint press conference held at the LDP headquarters on the 13th, "I will inherit the basic direction of the Kishida administration's foreign and economic policies." Regarding foreign policy, he emphasized, "The fundamental axis of (the Kishida Cabinet's) diplomacy will never be deviated from," adding, "Regardless of the outcome of the U.S. presidential election, we will further strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance and deepen cooperation with Japan’s partners and countries that share our values."
On the issue of abductees, he stated, "If I become prime minister, since we are of the same generation as the leaders, I want to seek new opportunities to meet (North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un) without preconditions, not being bound by previous approaches." Koizumi, born in 1981, is 43 years old this year, while Kim is estimated to be 40 years old, born in 1984.
Hayashi Yoshimasa, Chief Cabinet Secretary and former Foreign Minister under the Kishida Cabinet, also indicated that he would continue Kishida’s diplomatic line, saying, "This time, the prime minister will change within the ruling party, but even if there is a change of government between the ruling and opposition parties, the fundamental aspects of foreign relations must not change."
Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko also praised, "Prime Minister Kishida, drawing on his experience as the longest-serving foreign minister in the past, successfully hosted last year’s Hiroshima G7 Summit and achieved significant progress, including a dramatic improvement in Japan-South Korea relations." She added, "Deepening the U.S.-Japan alliance is very important," and said, "Once the next president is elected in the U.S. presidential election in November, we will firmly establish relations."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
