Japan's priorities shifting?

Yesterday (25-08-2010), Japan's Foreign Minister Okada issued a new policy to shift 100 diplomats from the developed countries to new emerging countries. The re-focus away from traditional western powers towards the likes of India, South Africa, Brazil and Turkey will be manifested institutionally in the creation of a "Emerging Countries Bureau" at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.* In particular, the Japan's embassy in the EU (economic branch) is to have its numbers reduced to make way for increases elsewhere.

Citing the development of the G20 as a forum in which emerging powers are holding great sway Okada said, "as a power shift in the world economy occurs, so too does the Ministry staff. Moving quickly is very important."**

There is also movement to bring in the influential (but not ministry-level) institutions of JETRO, JBIC, and JICA under Foreign Affair's control by bundling them in with the other embassy functions.

See article here.

* Not the first Bureau that Okada has set up, also the 'FTA Promotion Bureau' has been significant.

** "世界経済のパワーシフトに応じて、外交の人員も変えていく。迅速に行っていくことが非常に大事"