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Japan’s Responsibilities:
The G20, the G8 and APEC
By Naoto Kan, prime minister, Japan
[français] [Korean] [Italiano] [Japanese] [Espanol] [Deutsch] [Portugues] [Türk] [Bahasa Indonesia] [Chinese] [Arabic] [Russkiya]
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As well as being committed to helping global economic recovery, Japan plans to promote regional integration and inclusive growth in the Asia-Pacific region as chair of the 2010 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum
We are living through a time of new challenges. Never was coordinated international action more important than now. As the world dramatically changes, the G8 and G20 summits in Canada and the leaders’ meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in November in Japan offer significant opportunities. Canada’s and Japan’s responsibilities are not small.
The global economy is past its worst stage, but we should not become complacent about current economic conditions. Unemployment remains high in many countries. We need to achieve inclusive growth that enables people to feel their daily lives are improving. When I visit Canada, a land rich in nature and diverse culture, I look forward to frank discussions on the future of the world economy with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the other leaders.
To ensure that the world economy will make the transition to strong, sustainable and balanced growth, we all need to continue our efforts until recovery has clearly taken hold. We also need to understand better how policies pursued by individual countries could collectively make an impact on the world economy.
Japan’s 2010 budget has laid down new policies aimed directly at supporting households, such as child allowances and effectively free high-school tuition. I will map out a path for mid- and long-term fiscal consolidation and will review budget allocations more boldly to change Japan’s socioeconomic structure and seek new opportunities for economic growth. By realising a strong economy, strong public finances and strong social security altogether, I will rebuild the Japanese economy, thereby contributing to the recovery of the world economy. I will convey this message to the other member countries of the G8 and G20. In so doing, I intend to invite emerging economies to fulfil their responsibilities: only with close cooperation can we put the world economy firmly back on the path to robust growth.
At the Pittsburgh Summit in September 2009, we designated the G20 as the premier forum for international economic cooperation. Japan views the G20 as an important opportunity for developed countries and emerging economies to discuss the management of the world economy. At the Toronto Summit, further work is necessary to achieve recovery and sustainable growth, strengthen the financial regulatory system and reform international financial institutions. In particular, as the G20 agreed at Pittsburgh, the steady implementation of the Framework for Strong, Sustainable and Balanced Growth for the mutual assessment of economic policies is important. We must also continue our global effort to establish a stronger and sounder financial supervisory and regulatory system, reflecting the fact that the crisis was caused in part by failing to control the financial system we ourselves created.
Asia is recovering from the crisis rapidly and resiliently. It is driving the world economy with its robust growth. Increasingly, the Asia-Pacific region is having its presence felt as a centre of world economic growth, and Japan is privileged to assume the chair of APEC in 2010. This year marks a milestone for APEC industrialised economies that will achieve the Bogor Goals of free and open trade and investment. Therefore, as APEC chair in this important year, I intend to reshape APEC for the 21st century under the theme of ‘Change and Action’.
Under Japan’s chair, APEC will promote greater regional integration and develop mid- and long-term growth strategies for the whole region. These growth strategies must bring inclusive growth, benefiting not only a few but all, and must bring sustainable growth, paying attention to the environment and energy. I intend to promote, through those measures together with other regional efforts, the initiative for an East Asian community.
In November, the APEC leaders’ meeting will be held back to back with the G20 Seoul Summit. I firmly support Korea, our important neighbour, in hosting the G20 summit, and I promise my utmost cooperation for its success. It is my intention for Japan to enhance the synergy among the G20, the G8 and APEC by delivering the voices and experiences of the Asia-Pacific region to the world through the G20 and the G8 and, at the same time, conveying the messages from the G20 and the G8 to APEC to pursue balanced development in the region.
In pursuing inclusive growth, we should not neglect poverty and other global challenges. Children all around the world deserve a society that realises human security – a society where they are free from hunger, infectious diseases, landmines or conflicts, a society where they have access to safe water and primary education and their human rights are protected.
Climate change is another challenge that deserves attention. The threat of global warming is real, and this year the international community will be tested on whether it can take coordinated action to adopt a comprehensive new legal document. Japan has set a very ambitious mid-term target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25 per cent by 2020 from the 1990 level and will play a leading role in international negotiations. We will also actively promote green innovation by taking advantage of Japan’s environmental technologies.
Each of us owes this diverse, indispensable earth to the next generation. As chair of the tenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Japan will lead a global effort toward the comprehensive protection of biodiversity and sustainable use of biological resources.
The G8 has played a significant role in meeting each of these global challenges. The importance of the G8, underpinned by a shared sense of fundamental values such as freedom and democracy, remains unchanged.
I fully support the leadership of Prime Minister Harper, as chair of the G8 Muskoka Summit, in taking up development, particularly maternal and child health, as a major item on the agenda. With only five years left and a United Nations summit scheduled in September, this year is very important for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. The international community is required to show its unified will to meet those goals and, as a group of major donors, the G8 has a responsibility to lead such a global effort. Needless to say, the G8 must also address the issue of peacebuilding to ensure peace and security as a prerequisite to development.
The international community faces urgent political and security issues such as those presented by Iran and North Korea. Tied together by common fundamental values, G8 members have a shared responsibility for international peace and security. I think that the leaders of G8 countries should candidly discuss these issues and send a strong message to the international community about their resolve to address them.
As the world goes through unprecedented changes, no country alone can resolve complicated global issues. Nor can any single framework. By further cooperating with countries willing to and capable of fulfilling their responsibilities, I am committed to confronting the world economy and other global issues through the frameworks of the G20, the G8 and APEC.
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