Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi's press conferences are now being broadcast online with simultaneous English interpretation, in what is believed to be a first for a Japanese cabinet minister.
The move comes as the Japanese government has faced criticism from abroad for its handling of the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which was hit by mass infections with the new coronavirus.
According to the Foreign Ministry, this is thought to be the first time that simultaneous English interpretation has accompanied the online broadcast of a cabinet minister's press conferences.
The foreign minister gives a press conference every Tuesday and Friday after Cabinet meetings, and they are being broadcast via the ministry's official Twitter account.
"[Press conferences] can be viewed in real time all over Japan and the world," Motegi said at his press conference Friday, the first of the online broadcasts.
The ministry plans to continue the broadcasts even after infections with the coronavirus subside.
"I want to fully explain Japan's foreign policy and the activities of the Foreign Ministry using digital technology," Motegi said.
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