The Japan Financial Services Agency published a summary of Finance Minister Katayama’s press conference following an online G7 Finance Ministers’ meeting under France’s new chairmanship, covering G7 priorities, global imbalances, critical minerals supply chains and support for Ukraine. Katayama urged the G7 to address, from an economic security perspective, non-market policies and practices that create excessive imbalances, and to use finance ministries’ tools such as taxation, fiscal duties and international finance to strengthen resilience in critical minerals supply chains, including rare earths. He reported a shared understanding after a recent Washington gathering that coordination should proceed rapidly and involve trade and energy officials, while noting that exchange rates and financial-market stabilisation were not on the meeting’s agenda. On foreign exchange, he declined to comment on market moves but said Japan would take appropriate measures in close cooperation with US authorities as necessary in line with the September Japan-US Treasury Ministers’ Joint Statement; on Ukraine, he pointed to Japan’s existing commitment via World Bank loans and referenced January discussions at the International Monetary Fund on a second-phase programme. A ministerial meeting on critical minerals is scheduled next week, with the United States to be represented by Secretary Rubio, and Katayama indicated the G7 aims to reach conclusions in April and May.

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