河野外務大臣のメッセージ

平成３０年３月
在パース総領事館

Statement by Mr. Taro Kono,
Minister for Foreign Affairs,
( Mr. Sumio Kusaka, Japan's Ambassador to Australia reads on behalf of Mr. Kono)
at Perth USAsia Centre symposium,
1st March, 2018 at Perth, Australia

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to this magnificent symposium. I would also like to pay tribute to the leadership of the chair, my old friend, Professor Gordon Flake, for organizing this meeting at which so many leading experts have gathered.

A free and open maritime order based on the rule of law is a cornerstone for stability and prosperity of the international community. Today’s theme, the Indo-Pacific, a region in which more than half of the world’s population lives, is the core of the dynamism of the world.

It is important to ensure the peace and prosperity of the entire region by making it as a “global commons”. However, these days, the maritime order is threatened by a variety of issues, including piracy, terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, natural disasters, illegal fishing, and unilateral actions to change the status quo.

Based on such awareness, Japan has articulated the ”Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy”, focusing its efforts on the three key pillars;
(a) Promoting and establishing fundamental principles such as freedom of navigation and the rule of law.
(b) Pursuing economic prosperity by improving “connectivity” through quality infrastructure development, and
(c) Cooperating for peace and stability including through capacity-building assistance in maritime law enforcement and disaster prevention.

In order to promote this strategy, it is critically important to cooperate with the U.S., which is Japan’s ally, and Australia, which is Japan’s Special Strategic Partner. On the occasion of President Trump’s visit to Japan in November last year, as well as Prime Minister Turnbull’s visit this January, we agreed to collaborate and cooperate to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific.

It is also important to pursue concrete efforts not only using Japan-U.S. alliance and Japan-Australia bilateral cooperation but also using tri-lateral cooperation between the three countries.

Furthermore, it is critical to coordinate and cooperate with more countries, including India, whose prominence as an important stakeholder in this region continues to rise, as well as ASEAN countries, which are located in the centre of the region and occupy strategic locations on sea lanes and continue to achieve remarkable economic growth.

It is for this reason that I seize every opportunity to explain this strategy, and we have obtained the endorsements of many countries.

Japan, Australia and the U.S. are important friends and partners connected by a shared future. In addition to renewing our determination to strengthen our cooperation and collaboration as we seek to ensure a free and open international order, I hope that through this gathering of experts from countries and regions that hold the key to the realization of a free and open Indo-Pacific, such as Japan, Australia and the U.S. , as well as India, ASEAN countries and the UK, we can have a meaningful discussion about the challenges, and the future of the Indo-Pacific from a broad perspective.

Thank you very much.