Japan says "No Comment" on Korea's Yoo Myung-hee trailing in WTO Director-General election

▲Yoo Myung-hee, Director-General for Trade, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Japan, which has been wary of South Korea's strong performance in the World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General election, is showing a cautious attitude by avoiding official comments as Yoo Myung-hee, South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy Chief Trade Negotiator, falls behind Nigeria's Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala candidate.

On the 29th, Manabu Sakai, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary, refrained from commenting at a press conference on Okonjo-Iweala receiving more support from member countries, saying, "The election process is still ongoing, and it is scheduled to be discussed again at the General Council on the 9th of next month."

He indicated that they will monitor the situation as no conclusion has been reached yet.

Initially, the Japanese government had been extremely wary of Yoo becoming the WTO Director-General.

This is because when Japan imposed export restrictions on key semiconductor and display materials to South Korea from July last year as a de facto retaliation against the South Korean Supreme Court's ruling on compensation for forced labor victims, the South Korean government filed a complaint with the WTO, which Yoo led.

The Japanese government has argued that if Yoo is elected, the fairness of the WTO dispute resolution process between South Korea and Japan could be compromised.

In this context, Kyodo News reported on the 25th that the Japanese government decided to support Okonjo-Iweala.

Katsunobu Kato, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary and government spokesperson, at a press conference on the 26th, said, "It is a principle not to disclose for diplomatic reasons," but in further explanation, he effectively acknowledged the report.

He reiterated the view that "we hope a candidate who can coordinate understanding among major countries and contribute to the maintenance and strengthening of the multilateral trading system will be elected."

This stance, repeatedly expressed by the Japanese government during the WTO Director-General election process, is analyzed as a subtle way of indicating that they will not support Yoo.

The Yomiuri Shimbun reported on the 29th that seeing European countries, which have deep ties with former colonies in Africa, supporting Okonjo-Iweala, the Japanese government also decided to support her.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.