Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said Friday that he will visit four Latin American countries–Mexico, Ecuador, Brazil and Argentina–and the United States between Jan. 4 and 14.
In the Latin American nations, Hayashi will meet with their foreign ministers.
He will host a U.N. Security Council ministerial debate on the rule of law at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Jan. 12. Japan, which will serve as a nonpermanent member of the Security Council for two years from 2023, is set to hold the monthly presidency of the council in January.
Hayashi told a press conference that he wants to have active discussions with other countries in order to help strengthen the rule of law in international society, noting that the Security Council has been seen as not functioning properly over issues including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
He also said Japan is paying attention to Central and South American countries, which are rich in natural resources, partly from the perspective of economic security. (https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2022122300792/japan-foreign-minister-to-visit-latin-america-u-s-in-jan.html)
