Japan Ministers Visiting Overseas during Golden Week Holiday

Tokyo, May 2 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and 10 members of her cabinet are visiting overseas during the ongoing Golden Week holiday period through next week. During their trips, the ministers are expected to focus on promoting Japan’s economic security, including securing stable resource supplies, in light of soaring crude oil prices due to the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz, higher U.S. tariffs, and China’s tightened restrictions on rare earth exports. On Friday, Takaichi left for a five-day visit to Vietnam and Australia. She will return home on Tuesday. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi is touring four mineral-rich countries–Zambia, Angola, Kenya and South Africa–for eight days through Wednesday to confirm their cooperation in strengthening supply chains. Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Ryosei Akazawa, who is also in charge of ensuring stable supplies of critical materials, will attend a Group of Seven trade ministers’ meeting in France and hold an economic dialogue with the European Union in Belgium. Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi is expected to reaffirm Japan’s commitment to expanding security cooperation during his visits to Indonesia and the Philippines from Sunday to Thursday, in response to China’s growing military pressure. Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama is scheduled to visit Uzbekistan for five days from Saturday to attend international conferences, including the annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank. Hitoshi Kikawada, minister for Okinawa and Northern Territories affairs, who is also responsible for Ainu issues, will attend a ceremony in Britain for the repatriation of remains of indigenous Ainu people from northern Japan. Meanwhile, no Japanese ministers will visit China during the Golden Week period, amid heightened bilateral tensions over Takaichi’s remarks last November on a potential Taiwan contingency. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]