Former Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio’s last official visit was to the United States. His speech at the United Nations (UN) Summit of the Future, along with key events such as the Japan-Australia-India-U.S. (Quad) Leaders’ Meeting and the High-Level Launch Meeting of the Friends of a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT), marked the culmination of three years of Kishida’s diplomacy.

The leaders stand together in front of four respective national flags - the American flag, Australian flag, Indian flag, and Japanese flag.

Former Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio attending the “Quad Cancer Moonshot” launch event on the sidelines of the Quad Leaders’ Meeting.

 
　In September 2024, former Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio made an official visit to the United States and attended the Japan-Australia-India-U.S. (Quad) Leaders’ Meeting. The four leaders reaffirmed their strong commitment to a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific.” They also shared the view that they seek to uphold the international order based on the rule of law and that the Quad is and will continue to be transparent in what they do.
 

Officials are seated around a large circular table with blue water bottles and name placards visible.

A scene from the Quad Leaders’ Meeting.

　The four leaders exchanged their views on the situation in the Indo-Pacific and expressed strong opposition to any destabilizing or unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion. They also shared the view that they respect the leadership of regional institutions, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), and the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). On the occasion of the meeting, the Quad Joint Leaders’ Statement was released. (Full text: The Wilmington Declaration, Joint Statement from the Leaders of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States）

　The four leaders also attended the “Quad Cancer Moonshot” launch event on the sidelines of the Quad Leaders’ Meeting. Former Prime Minister Kishida emphasized that the Quad will work closely together with a view to combating cancer more effectively by combining their technologies and networking capabilities.
 

The United Nations General Assembly hall, showing its distinctive curved rows of delegate seating and the iconic UN emblem mounted on a golden wall.

Former Prime Minister Kishida delivering an address at the UN Summit of the Future.
　Subsequently, Kishida attended the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and gave an address at the Summit of the Future. He highlighted the following five points to ensure a future defined by peace, freedom, and prosperity, recalling that clear guiding principles are critical in times where nations with diverse values take actions to safeguard the interest of present and future generations: (1) to uphold the “rule of law,” (2) to defend “human dignity,” (3) to “invest in people,” (4) nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, and (5) UN Security Council reform. He called on the international community for sharing responsibility and realizing genuine solidarity and for strengthening multilateralism towards a better future and expressed Japan’s unwavering commitment to the UN. (Full text : Address by Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio at the Summit of the Future)
 
　Furthermore, Kishida held the High-Level Launch Meeting of the Friends of a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) with the attendance of U.S. Secretary of State Blinken, foreign ministers of Canada, Australia, and the Philippines, along with the Nigerian defense minister and other high-level participants. By establishing a cross-regional group with the participation of both nuclear-weapon states and non-nuclear-weapon states, Kishida stated that he is convinced that further increasing political interest in and revitalizing the discussion on an FMCT will build momentum toward an early start of negotiations, which will ultimately lead to the maintenance and strengthening of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) regime. Kishida pointed out that the world is on the cusp of a reversal of the decreasing trend of the global number of nuclear arsenals for the first time since the peak of the Cold War and it is even more necessary to start negotiations on an FMCT as early as possible, which limits the quantitative improvement of nuclear weapons by banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons.
 
A group photo of delegates standing behind conference tables in a meeting room.

A scene from the High-Level Launch Meeting of the Friends of an FMCT.

 
　During his visit, Kishida also held a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and attended the U.S.-Japan Tourism Event. At a press conference regarding his visit to the United States, he reflected on diplomacy under his administration these past three years, saying, “I have proactively pursued summit-level diplomacy to uphold and reinforce the international order based on the rule of law in order to lead the international community to cooperation, not division or confrontation,” and “I feel that the world often holds high expectations towards Japan’s diplomacy.”