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Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya once again clarified Japan’s official position on the Polisario separatist entity at the opening of the ministerial meeting of the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) in Yokohama on Tuesday.
“I would like to make it clear that the presence at this meeting of any entity that Japan does not recognize as a state does not affect Japan’s position on the status of that entity,” Iwaya told African ministers and representatives of international organizations gathered for the conference.
This solemn statement is consistent with previous Japanese positions, notably at the meeting of senior officials and in public statements by the Japanese foreign minister.
Actually, on the eve of the TICAD opening, Takeshi Iwaya, reiterated in a statement to “PanOrient News” that the Polisario self-proclaimed “republic” is neither recognized by Japan nor by the majority of UN members. Japan “does not recognize the so-called RASD” and “Japan’s position is unchanged,” insisted the Japanese Foreign Minister.
“Our policy of not inviting it to TICAD remains unchanged,” Iwaya pointed out, recalling that the AU, co-organizer of the event, had insisted on inviting “all of its members.”
The same clarification concerning Japan’s non-recognition of the separatist entity was reiterated at the meeting of high officials, held in preparation for the TICAD 9.
Actually, the head of the Japanese delegation recalled, at the outset of the meeting, that his country does not recognize the entity, whose intrusion to TICAD meetings does not change Japan’s constant position, not recognizing it as a State.
“I would like to state that the presence of an entity that Japan does not recognize as a State does not affect Japan’s position concerning the entity’s status,” the Japanese official declared.
The Japanese diplomat expressed reservations on the separatist entity’s presence, saying that his country has refused to extend it an invitation and instead invited “countries with which Japan holds diplomatic ties.”
Japan, committed to international legitimacy, was thus keen to avoid any ambiguity, emphasizing that the separatist entity’s intrusion into meetings under the guise of the African Union does not confer upon it any state legitimacy.
This position is in line with that of the UN and the overwhelming majority of its member states, which refuse to recognize the separatist entity and broadly support the autonomy initiative presented by Morocco in 2007 as a serious and credible solution to the Sahara dispute.
TICAD-9 is taking place in Yokohama, Japan, from August 19 to 23, with the main objective of promoting development and cooperation in Africa, in peace and stability.
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