Japan to Set Up Framework with Pacific Island Nations; Japan, PIF Expected to Talk Climate Change, Regional Affairs in Framework

The Yomiuri Shimbun

18:27 JST, March 8, 2025

The government plans to establish a framework for dialogue with the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Secretariat, a group mainly comprising Pacific island nations, to counter the presence of China in the region.

Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and PIF Secretary General Baron Devavesi Waqa are expected to agree on establishing the framework in their talks scheduled to be held in Tokyo on Monday.

Under the envisaged framework, Japan and the PIF are expected to hold a dialogue once or twice a year to discuss issues such as regional affairs and climate change. A Foreign Ministry official serving as the ambassador for the Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting and the PIF’s deputy secretary general will be among those who will take part in the dialogue.

In Monday’s meeting, Iwaya is expected to inform Waqa, the former president of Nauru, that Japan plans to provide ¥417 million (about $3 million) to help the Pacific island nations deal with climate change and natural disasters.

The amount is about six times the about $500,000 that China has announced. With the contribution, Japan aims to make its presence felt in the region.

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo

Then Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, second from right, attends the plenary meeting of Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting in Tokyo in July 2024.