Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has no plans to attend a two-day leaders meeting of a U.N. climate summit set to start in Turkey on Wednesday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Thursday. Environment Minister Hiroyoshi Sasagawa will attend ministerial meetings of the summit, officially known as the 31st meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, or COP31, which starts Monday.
It will mark the third consecutive year that a Japanese prime minister has not attended a U.N. climate summit. Takaichi will be absent for scheduling reasons, Kihara said at a news conference. The government does not think the absence will undermine Japan’s presence in climate diplomacy because Sasagawa will convey the country’s stance on climate change, he said.
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