During the opening session of the ministerial meeting at the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) on Tuesday in Yokohama, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya reaffirmed Japan's official stance on the Polisario issue. «I wish to clarify that the presence in this meeting of any entity that Japan does not recognize as a state does not in any way affect Japan's position regarding the status of this entity», Iwaya declared, addressing the African ministers and representatives from international organizations present at the conference. This decisive statement is consistent with Japan's previous positions, reiterated during senior officials' meetings and in public declarations by the country's top diplomat. Japan, firmly committed to international legitimacy, aims to eliminate any ambiguity, stressing that the participation of the separatist entity in meetings held under the African Union (AU) banner does not confer any state legitimacy upon it. This position aligns with that of the United Nations and the vast majority of its member states, who do not recognize the separatist entity and largely endorse the autonomy initiative proposed by Morocco in 2007. TICAD 9 is being held in Yokohama, Japan, from August 19 to 23, focusing on fostering development and cooperation in Africa within a framework of peace and stability.
