TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will miss the summit meeting of a U.N. climate change conference in Turkey this week, the government has said, citing scheduling constraints and other factors.
Takaichi's absence from the U.N. climate change conference, known as COP31, to be held in Antalya in southwestern Turkey from Monday through Nov. 20, would mark the third consecutive year that a Japanese leader has not attended its summit-level talks. The two-day summit for world leaders is scheduled to run through Thursday.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a regular press conference last week in Tokyo that Environment Minister Hiroyoshi Sasagawa is scheduled to represent Japan at the conference, participating in a ministerial-level meeting and delivering a statement.
Asked whether Takaichi's absence could affect Japan's standing on climate issues, Kihara cited Sasagawa's planned attendance, saying the government "does not believe there is cause for concern that this will lead to a decline in Japan's presence in climate diplomacy."
