Japan's Foreign Ministry to Set Up Peace Mediation Office
Japan's Foreign Ministry will set up by the end of March next year a new office tasked with mediating peace between third countries, it was learned Tuesday (December 16).
- The office is being established as part of a coalition agreement between Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party.
- Its purpose is to provide seamless assistance in global conflicts, from initial peace mediation to post-conflict recovery and reconstruction.
- The new body will likely be placed under the ministry's Foreign Policy Bureau and will act as a cross-departmental coordinator.
- Officials view the office as a "new diplomatic tool" to enhance Japan's role in building peace within the international community.
The move comes in line with a coalition agreement between the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party, also known as Nippon Ishin no Kai.
The new office is likely to be established under the ministry's Foreign Policy Bureau and is expected to help Japan provide seamless assistance spanning from mediation to post-conflict recovery and reconstruction.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara pointed to the growing importance of supporting efforts to resolve conflicts promptly through peace mediation, while mentioning the conflict in the Palestinian territory of Gaza.
"It's beneficial to create an office that will serve as a cross-departmental coordinator utilising insights from (the ministry's) respective regional affairs bureaus, which have connections with stakeholders in conflicts," Kihara said.
The LDP-JIP agreement describes the envisaged peace mediation office as "a new diplomatic tool to build peace in the international community.
"Japan can play a special role," said a government source, adding, however, "Mediation is not easy."
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
