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June.26.2021 KIP Forum "Japan's Economic Diplomacy"
The June forum was held in a hybrid format of face-to-face and online. Mr. Shikata, the current Director General of the Economic Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, talked about the specific details of Prime Minister Suga's visit to the US and the G7 Summit. The participants discussed in what areas Japan could take the initiative in the G7 in the future, and Mr. Shikata gave his comments.
Mr. Noriyuki Shikata
Profile:
Mr. Noriyuki Shikata holds a B.A. in Law from Kyoto University and Master in Public Policy (MPP) from Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Most recently, he was at Harvard conducting research on an emerging U.S. policy toward China and the Indo-Pacific. His other prior positions include: Deputy Director General, Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau; Director, Economic Treaties Division, International Legal Affairs Bureau; and Director, Second North America Division, North America Bureau; Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Japan in China. Mr. Shikata has also been a Visiting Professor at Kyoto University’s Graduate School of Law/Public Policy. He is currently Assistant Minister / Director-General of Economic Affairs Bureau, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
【Speech and Q&A】
Mr. Shikata began by explaining the "Japan-U.S. Partnership for Competitiveness and Resilience" which was launched between Prime Minister Suga and President Biden during Suga's visit to the US in April. In terms of competitiveness and innovation in the digital sector, he talked about promoting a secure and open 5G network and protecting and nurturing the supply chain in China's fast-growing semiconductor sector. In the area of anti-coronary measures, global health, and health security, he gave a detailed explanation of the COVAX Facility, which aims to ensure equitable access and distribution of new coronavirus vaccines to developing countries. In terms of climate change and green energy, he talked about hydrogen energy, which Japan is focusing on, and carbon neutrality, which needs to be addressed globally.
We also learned about the G7 summit held in the UK just a few weeks ago, which provided us with an opportunity to learn about the discussions and agreements that were made under the theme of "Build Back Better". We were also able to learn about the characteristics and significance of various economic partnership agreements that Japan has signed. Japan is involved in a number of important economic partnership agreements, and his talk on how Japan would like to utilize its position to increase its presence in the international community was also relevant to the discussion theme of the latter half of the session.
During the question-and-answer session, there were many questions from students interested in Japan's economic diplomacy, and Mr. Shikata answered them in detail. In response to a question about how the Japanese and U.S. governments should respond to China's rise in the field of semiconductors, Mr. Shikata emphasized the importance of public-private collaboration, saying that most industries grow through innovation by private companies and that a system dependent on government subsidies would limit competitiveness.
【Group discussion and grand discussion】
The theme of the discussion was "Japan's New Economic Diplomacy Initiative Proposal for the G7 Summit to be hosted by Japan in 2023". Referring to Mr. Shikata's speech, the participants were divided into groups of five to share their opinions. There was a lively discussion on what areas Japan can lead the international community and what areas are meaningful for Japan to cooperate with the G7 countries. After sharing the ideas of each group with the whole group, a general discussion was held where questions were asked among the groups. Opinions were expressed from a wide range of fields including health, green energy, and manufacturing. Mr. Shikata commented that it would have been better if the participants had been able to come up with ideas more freely and creatively, which made us all open our eyes.
【Personal remarks】
I learned a lot from the opportunity to discuss this topic right after the G7 Summit. I will continue to be sensitive to news related to Japan's economic diplomacy and make every effort not to waste what I learned in this forum.
(Misaki Enomoto, The University of Tokyo, Natural Sciences 3, 2nd year)