Mr. Iwama, what does Japan expect from the new US President Joe Biden?
Iwama Above all, the new US president will try to bridge the gap and division in his own country. As important allies of the United States , we are glad that Biden, unlike his predecessor, is relying on multilateral agreements. We hope that the fundamentally close relationship between America and Japan will be put on a new footing.
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The new world power is called China . Do the western democracies, the USA , Europe and Japan, have to unite more closely in order to master this challenge?
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Iwama Above all, countries with a common value system have to work closely together to face various challenges such as climate change or the corona pandemic. We also invite China to do this. But there are also some areas that we have to negotiate hard with the Chinese.
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When it comes to business interests?
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Iwama Not just about business interests. The Japanese government views the events in Hong Kong and the events in the South China Sea with great concern. On the other hand, we have to stay in dialogue with China , as the Japanese Foreign Minister is doing with his colleague in Beijing.
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Can there be a dialogue with China about the suppression of democracy?
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Iwama As I said, we have to stay in close contact with countries that share our values, such as Australia, New Zealand and the EU. At the same time, we should maintain the bilateral dialogue with China at various levels.
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An economic war is still raging between the US and China . Can we afford it in times of the corona pandemic?
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Iwama Japan is a country that advocates free trade. 15 countries from the Asia-Pacific region, including Japan, China and the Asean states, have signed the RCEP free trade agreement. This is a sign against protectionism and economic war.
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Do we have to negotiate such agreements again with the Americans?
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Iwama Japan would welcome the US to return to multilateral agreements like TPP. The Japanese government very much hopes that progress will be made there. With regard to China too, not only market access and investment security are important, but also the inclusion of a different legal system for free trade.
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Germany and Japan have been connected for 160 years – for better or for worse when you think of the past. Could the partnership be even closer?
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Iwama Most of the Japanese who live in Germany work and live in North Rhine-Westphalia. For many of my compatriots, Düsseldorf has become a second home. Many personal friendships have developed. That is unique.
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Kiminori Iwama has been Consul General of Japan in Düsseldorf since March 2020.Photo : Consulate General / General Consulate
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Where is there still some catching up to do?
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Iwama Economic relations are very good. But cultural and sporting exchange are just as important. Hopefully Japan will host the Olympics this year. There are many opportunities for exchange, especially for North Rhine-Westphalia, which also wants to bring the Olympic Games to the state.
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Do the Japanese sometimes worry a little that the Germans will care more about the Chinese than about them?
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Iwama I don’t see relations with Germany as a competition. Germany and Japan are a community of values, and we benefit from cooperation in business , science, but also culture and sport . I don’t see any preference for China from the German side.
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Don’t Japan and Germany have to work more closely together technologically in order to jointly fend off cyber attacks and espionage from China or Russia ?
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Iwama I wouldn’t name specific countries here. But it is important that Germany and Japan coordinate even better on sensitive technologies. This applies above all to cyber security, with which we can better protect our technologies against external hacker attacks.
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Japan has long been considered a model country in containing the pandemic. Now you are also struggling with high case numbers.
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Iwama The metropolises of Tokyo and Düsseldorf currently have approximately the same incidence of weekly infections per 100,000 inhabitants. But while the numbers are falling in Germany , they are rising sharply in Japan. Here, too, we have to work much closer together. In Japan, vaccinations are not expected to start until the end of February. I hope we can learn from the German and European experiences.
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Sunday marks the 160th anniversary of the friendship and trade treaty that Prussia concluded with the Japanese Empire in 1861. For the official representatives of Japan, this is an opportunity to revitalize the diverse relationships between the two countries. Especially in Düsseldorf and North Rhine-Westphalia, where most Japanese abroad live in Germany .
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Categories Technology Tags China , countries , democracy , FTA , Germany , Japan , Japanese , joe biden , land , New Zealand , relationships , Russia , Western
