Japan and Pacific Island nations are set to express their strong opposition to any unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force or coercion amid China’s growing clout in the region during a summit next week, a draft of the meeting’s declaration showed Saturday.
At the 10th Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting to be held in Tokyo on July 16-18, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also plans to announce more than 60 billion yen (US$380 million) in development aid over the next three years to counter China’s influence and bring the island nations closer to Japan, sources close to the matter said.
Regarding Japan’s release of treated radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific, the draft declaration welcomes the Japanese government’s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency to ensure the discharge will not adversely affect human health or the marine environment. The issue is expected to be included as an agenda item for future meetings.
The document also touches on the principles of global peace and stability, freedom and democracy, sustainable development, the rule of law, and human rights, as well as the importance of a “free and open rule-based international order” in accordance with international law.
With climate change regarded as the single greatest existential threat to the Pacific region, the draft notes the urgent need for actions to mitigate and adapt to its impacts.
It also outlines a policy to focus on cooperation in seven areas, including economic development and climate change, to realiSe the strategy formulated by the Pacific Islands Forum, a regional body involving Oceania, by 2050.
The document additionally highlights the importance of countering the spread of disinformation and welcomed Japan’s support in building cybersecurity capabilities.
It demands North Korea’s complete disarmament of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, while also addressing humanitarian concerns in the country, including the issue of Japanese abductees.
The summit, which has taken place every three years since 1997, involves Japan and the 18-member PIF.
The PIF comprises Australia, the Cook Islands, Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and France’s overseas territories of New Caledonia and French Polynesia.
