[Title] Video Message by Prime Minister Kishida for the 3rd Tokyo Global Dialogue

President Sasae, distinguished participants,

It is my great pleasure that the world-acclaimed Japan Institute of International Affairs is holding the 3rd Tokyo Global Dialogue this year featuring numerous participants from around the world.

The regional security environment is rapidly getting more challenging with North Korea's nuclear and missile development, unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East and South China seas, and heightened tensions caused by changes in the military balance. This region finds itself on the front line of US-China competition. We are also monitoring the situation around Ukraine with grave concern as a matter which can affect the international order.

Amidst an increasingly severe and complex international situation, I have emphasized universal values such as freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law, and I am determined to pursue "realism diplomacy for a new era" that adheres to a thorough pragmatism, while firmly holding aloft the flag of ideals for the future.

Based on the outcomes of the Summit Video Teleconference Meeting with President Biden, we will make steady progress in further strengthening the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-US Alliance. We will draw up the new National Security Strategy, the National Defense Program Guidelines, and the Mid-Term Defense Program by the end of this year, and fundamentally reinforce Japan's defense capabilities.

It is important to establish a free and open rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region, a core of the world's vitality. We will be further reinforcing coordination with allies and like-minded partners to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Regarding the Quad, a key driving force for the achievement of the vision, I will be hosting a Summit Meeting in the first half of this year in Japan. Together with the other leaders, I hope to make this summit an opportunity to elevate Quad cooperation to the next level.

With countries around the world engaging in fierce competition to secure strategic goods and acquire key technologies, economic security is both a challenge we must address without delay and a central element in global rules for the 21st century.

We will be safeguarding our own security while seeking to tap into global growth. We will also be actively working in collaboration with the United States, Australia, India and other willing countries to develop the international rules for this approach.

As a prime minister hailing from Hiroshima, I will lead international efforts towards a "world without nuclear weapons," and go beyond that to assume a leading role in addressing climate change and international health issues.

Let me conclude my remarks by hoping this Dialogue will contribute to Japan's foreign and security policies through your lively discussions and policy recommendations.

Thank you all for your kind attention.