Minutes of the 9th Diet Caucus on
International Maternal and Child Nutrition
Progress toward Tokyo Nutrition Summit 2020

Time and Date: 16:30-17:30, Wednesday, March 4, 2020
Venue: Meeting Room 1, B1F, House of Representatives Second Members’ Office
Building

Summary
Being established in 2015, the Diet Caucus on International Maternal and Child
Nutrition (hereinafter referred to as “the Diet Caucus”), celebrated its ninth meeting on
March 4, 2020. People from the Diet, relevant ministries and agencies, internationalorganizations, businesses and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) participated,
and the venue in the meeting room of the House of Representatives Members’ Office
Building became full of participants. This reflected people's interest in the issue inmalnutrition and in the Tokyo Nutrition Summit 2020, which would be held in midDecember.
The significance of this meeting was, first, to see the progress towards the
Nutrition Summit in more details. During the meeting, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
presented five themes to be discussed at the Nutrition Summit. In addition, the Japan
International Cooperation Agency (JICA) talked about—in relation to the five themes—
the health sector's efforts to achieving universal health coverage (UHC) and the food andagricultural approaches through the Initiative for Food and Nutrition Security in Africa(IFNA.) The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare announced its intention to share theknowledge and experience of Japan's nutrition policy with the world by runningtechnical sessions at the Nutrition Summit. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries announced that it would approach to the food industry through NJPPP(Nutrition Japan Public Private Platform.) The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
would hold food-related panel discussions at the "Third Well Aging Society Summit AsiaJapan" that they would like to further link to the nutrition summit in December. Finally,
the Ministry of Finance announced that it would be considering strengthening its
collaboration with the trust funds, especially the SUN (Scale Up Nutrition) Trust Fundand the GFF (Global Financing Facility.)
The second significance of the meeting was that the Diet Caucus adopted the "Recommendations for the Tokyo Nutrition Summit 2020". The recommendations firstcorroborated the background issues leading to the proposal and the nutrition problems
in the world. Then recommended the following three points: “Financial Commitment
from the Japanese Government,” “Building Strategy and Strengthening System of
Coordination,” and “Improving Monitoring and Reporting.” There was no objection, andthe proposal was adopted with numerous applauses.
I would like to add three points to the above recommendations. First, at themeeting, there was an emphasis on company's participation. The Ministry of ForeignAffairs expected participating companies to the nutrition summit to announce a policy
commitment. However, on the other hand, what about the return on investment in
nutrition to Japanese companies? Because such return leads not only to funding but also
to human development, it is applied to both profit and non-profit organizations. In thissense, “Financial Commitment from the Japanese Government” also becomes very
important. I want to look forward to future developments on this. It should also be notedthat the organizations participating the nutrition summit are expected to act responsiblyin accordance with the “Principles of Engagement” announced by the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs.
Regarding “Building Strategy and Strengthening System of Coordination,”cross-sector or multi-sectoral approaches are important in tackling nutrition issues. Thishas been pointed out frequently and was also spelled out in the previous nutrition
summit in Brazil and the SUN Kathmandu Declaration in the November 2019. One of
the five themes presented this time by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is "Health:Integrating Nutrition into Universal Health Coverage (UHC)." The issue of nutritional
improvement is essential to creating a healthy and strong nation and achieving all 17 of
the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), said Ms. Akiko Santo, Chairperson of theDiet Caucus. Also, as Mr. Keizo Takemi, Acting Chairperson of the Diet Caucus, told, if
Japan can play a role in linking nutrition to the whole goals of SDGs and to cross-cutting
policy concepts, that will lead to very large policy initiatives. As Dr. Teiji Nakamura, thePresident of the Japan Dietetic Association, told, Japan is the only country in the worldthat has overcome both undernutrition and overnutrition. Is it possible to use Japan's
experiences in line with the local situations of the counterpart countries / regions? It is
desirable to develop a nutrition policy for sustainable growth according to the local
situations—from emergency assistance to longer-term development. For example, in the
countries, such as the member countries of IFNA, are the measures in food supply,
nutrition education, nutrition human resource development, and others reaching every
part/ village of the country? It may also happen that these measures alone are notsufficient in the first place. Depending on the local conditions, the coordination withother sectors (e.g., water and sanitation) would be needed; and, as Mr. Takeaki
Matsumoto, Vice Chairperson of the Diet Caucus, said, we will bring those activities ina sustainable manner.
Thirdly, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare mentioned a policy process
based on scientific evidence. Also from the perspective of “Improving Monitoring andReporting,” the creation of evidence becomes important. For example, “the effect oftaking malaria treatment drugs during pregnancy on the birth weight of the infants”

and “the intervention to the local people trying to achieve sustainable nutrition
improvement by locally available food resources” may differ in the process of creating
evidence. In any case, the cooperation with academia is especially expected in this field—
and "Improvement of monitoring and reporting" is urgently required, so that Japan's
efforts and support for nutrition improvement can be recognized worldwide.
This report was created in collaboration of Results Japan and the Save theChildren Japan. According to Ms. Karen Makishima, Secretary-General of the Diet
Caucus, the Diet Caucus was held after several meetings of the management members,
confirming the progress towards the nutrition summit. I would like to thank all themembers of the Diet, related ministries and agencies, and other people who made thismeeting happen; and sincerely pray for the success of the Tokyo Nutrition Summit inDecember 2020.

Diet Caucus on International Maternal and Child Nutrition
General Meeting
16: 30-17: 30, Wednesday, March 4, 2020
Meeting Room 1, B1F, House of Representatives Second Members’ Office Building
MC: Eriko Imai, Deputy Secretary-General, the Diet Caucus on International
Maternal and Child Nutrition■Opening by MC■Greeting from Akiko Santo, Chairperson, Diet Caucus on International Maternal andChild Nutrition■ Agenda: Each ministry’s progress toward the Tokyo Nutrition Summit 2020
Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA);
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare; Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries; Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; Ministry of Finance(Observer: Cabinet Secretariat)< Ministry of Foreign Affairs>
Tamaki Tsukada, Ambassador, Director-General for Global Issues<JICA>
Koji Makino, Director General, Rural Development Department<Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare >Fukue Seino, Director for Nutrition, Office of Nutrition, Health Service Division, HealthService Bureau< Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries>
Yoshihiro Kanda, Director, Policy Division, Food Industry Affairs Bureau
Taku Kuroiwa, Deputy Director, Policy Division, Food Industry Affairs Bureau< Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry >Takeshi Nishino, Director, Healthcare Industries Division, Commerce and Service
1

Industry Policy Group<Ministry of Finance>
Shuichi Hosoda, Director, Development Policy Division, International Bureau
Observer< Cabinet Secretariat >Masako Saito, Deputy Director, Office of Healthcare Policy2Minutes of the Ninth Diet Caucus on International Maternal andChild Nutrition
Time and Date: 16:30-17:30, Wednesday, March 4, 2020
Place: Meeting Room 1, B1F, House of Representatives Second Members’ Office Building
Eriko Imai, Deputy Secretary-General, Diet Caucus on International Maternal andChild Nutrition
Thank you very much for making time in your busy schedule to attend thismeeting. Today's chair will be Eriko Imai, Deputy Secretary-General of the Diet Caucus
on International Maternal and Child Nutrition.
Today, from the relevant ministries and agencies, we would like to hear about
the progress toward Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit 2020 that will be held in
December this year—and kindly ask all of the organizations who gathered today tocooperate in raising momentum toward the Nutrition Summit. Also, in order for Japan's
leadership to be more widely recognized by the world through the Nutrition Summit, we,the Diet Caucus would like to submit a recommendation to the Government of Japan,
which will be discussed later.
We will now start the 9th Diet Caucus on International Maternal and Child
Nutrition. To begin, the chairperson of the Diet Caucus, Ms. Akiko Santo would like to
say a few words, please.
1. Greeting
Akiko Santo, Chairperson, Diet Caucus on International Maternal and Child Nutrition
Members of the Diet, in this busy time during the Diet session, and relatedorganizations and all of the government offices, I am very grateful to all of you for yourattendance today during such time.
I have heard that many people are preparing steadily for the Tokyo Nutrition
for Growth Summit that will be held in December this year, which the Diet Caucus has
been actively working towards.
At the same time, the other day, at the Budget Committee (Third Working
Group,) Foreign Minister Motegi stated that the Japanese Government would takeresponsibility and make financial and other supports in every aspects for the Tokyo
Nutrition Summit. This is very encouraging.
Under these circumstances, it is the issues of nutritional improvement that are3indispensable to “build a healthy and strong nation” as this Diet Caucus has advocated,
and to achieve all of the 17 goals of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In thatsense, as the chairperson of this meeting has previously said, this Diet Caucus, in orderto make the Tokyo Nutrition Summit successful by all means, would kindly ask
everyone’s support—and would like it to be shaped properly, so that people will commentthat “it was really successful. Japan is great after all.” I know there are a lot of difficulties
for that, but would like to kindly ask for support of the experts who gathered here today.
I look forward to a fruitful meeting. Thank you very much.
Eriko Imai, Deputy Secretary-General, Diet Caucus on International Maternal andChild Nutrition
Thank you, Councilor Santo. Next, from the ministries and agencies, we would
like to hear about the progress toward the Nutrition Summit. Please also state yourname and affiliation. First, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, please.
2. Report on the progress toward the Nutrition Summit by the ministries and agencies
Tamaki Tsukada, Ambassador, Director-General for Global Issues, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs
I think many of you know about the Nutrition Summit, but the first sheet of the
document gives a brief explanation. It has become a practice that Nutrition Summits are
hosted by the host country of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. It has been held in
the UK and Brazil so far, and this will be the third time being held. The hosting of theTokyo Nutrition Summit by Japan was announced by the Prime Minister Abe at the 2017
UHC Forum three years ago, and this was the starting point. The date and time iscurrently being finalized, but it will likely be decided to be held in mid-December thisyear. The venue is assumed to be in Tokyo near Marunouchi.
The outcomes have been divided into the following five themes, and we havebeen preparing with related organizations and agencies for almost two years so far.
Specifically, the themes are 1) health; 2) food, especially food system; 3) resilience,measures against malnutrition in vulnerable situations; 4) accountability; and 5) finance.
Japan hopes to utilize this opportunity to make known various efforts in nutrition thathave been implemented in Japan.
Next, I will explain how civil society can be involved in the process ofparticipating in the Tokyo Nutrition Summit. The material on the second page issummarized in a tabular format. There are basically three approaches. The first option4

is to host events in government-sponsored venues. There will be one, or two to threerooms for medium-sized (50-100 people) and large-scale (100 people or more) venues. The
venue fee (not including interpreters) is paid by the government. A 90-minute slot will
be set up 4-5 times a day. Those who wish to apply will apply, and we will adjust andassign slots. Despite the merit that this will be in the center of the summit venue and at
relatively large scale, of course, there is a limit to the number. When there are many
applicants, there is a limit that we have to narrow them down. The second option is, wewill prepare some venues outside of the summit venue, basically around Marunouchi.
Venue fees will be borne by the organizers. The third option is holding events related to
the Nutrition Summit, which can be held anywhere in Japan. We will have a certain
form of sponsorship, for example, with the use of the Summit logo to hold the event as
part of the Nutrition Summit. I think we have these three options. In terms of theapplication requirements, as described in the handout, we have prepared the principles
of engagement, so we want people to follow their objectives. If you wish to apply, theapplication will be accepted from the middle of April and the allocation will be announced
in July, as according to the application schedule shown in the handout material.
On the last page of the document, we would like to kindly ask you upon
participating in the Nutrition Summit to announce your commitment. It may be difficult
to understand what is regarded as a commitment, but we would like you to declare what
you will do on the occasion of the Nutrition Summit. There are three kinds ofcommitments. One is policy - express something like the direction in your actions in
the nutrition sector. The second is funding commitment - you will provide this muchfunding in this area in the future. The third is program - it is about expressing what kindof programs you will develop, and the contents. We hope that people will raise
momentum for the Nutrition Summit by expressing commitments in these three ways.
We would like you to consider your participation to the Nutrition Summit. That is all I
have to say.
Koji Makino, Director General, Rural Development Department, Japan International
Cooperation Agency (JICA)
I have prepared some sheets of documents. I will basically explain using thefirst cover page. The contents contain two points: JICA's efforts to improve nutrition indeveloping countries, and efforts for the Nutrition Summit. JICA has the following three
approaches in multi-sectoral efforts. “Sufficient food availability at the household andindividual level” based on the agricultural development approach, and “sufficientmaternal and child health care and appropriate breastfeeding and complementary5feeding” from the maternal and child health approach. “Sufficient hygiene environment
and access to health services” is under the approach to improve water and health sector.
We are providing assistance in developing countries, combining these three approaches.
While I have included the 5 themes for the Nutrition Summit, which the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs has previously explained, we believe that we can contribute
especially in the fields of food systems and UHC. At the end of the handout, we describe
what JICA is working on in particular and how we think about the Nutrition Summit.
JICA hopes to focus on IFNA (Initiative for Food and Nutrition Security in Africa) and
UHC and multi-sector approaches, spanning over multiple areas, and collaborate withvarious donors and private companies.
As explained in the explanation for IFNA, it will be carried out in cooperation
with international organizations and others, and the target year is 2025. Since it started
in 2016, we aim to improve nutrition of 200 million children in Africa in about 10 years.
At first, we designated 12 countries as pilot countries; but since last year's TICAD 7, wehave extended our target to all African countries. The contents, at the macro-level, is the
combination of developing an action plan for nutrition improvement of the target country
and the specific pilot project on the ground with donors and private companies.
Regarding UHC, we have adopted a life course approach to improve nutrition at each of
the life stages, from pre-birth to pregnancy and the elderly. We have introduced amaternal and child handbook in 50 countries around the world and in doing so,
considering nutrition as a focus.
I believe that such efforts in developing countries can contribute to Japan's
development of commitments to the Summit. In our calculations, the amount of how
much we JICA is doing (nutrition support), despite rough calculation, is about 150 casesof support as of 2016 and this number has increased to about 250 in 2018. Finally, we
would like to hold some kind of event on the day of the Tokyo Nutrition Summit, and by
the time of the summit we would like to disseminate information in public relations andat seminars organized by international organizations.
As a unique initiative of JICA, while agricultural development (usually) tries toimprove calorie intakes, we try to do this with a focus on nutrition. We first investigate
well on what kind of nutrition is lacking in the country at the national and community
levels and start implementing agricultural policies. In addition, we dispatch about 1000
people to the world, including nutritionists and agriculture-related volunteers, which wecall "nutrition improvement partners." I wish to disseminate the practice of Japanesestyled approaches in the communities. Thank you very much.

6

Fukue Seino, Director for Nutrition, Office of Nutrition, Health Service Division, HealthService Bureau, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare plays a central role in the nutritional
administration of Japan. In order to contribute to international discussions by sharing
knowledge and experience in nutrition policy so far, we plan to mainly hold the technicalsessions at the Nutrition Summit and hope to contribute to the international support innutrition.
As a system for conducting cross-sectional discussions within the ministry
toward the Summit, we established the “Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare
Preparatory Headquarters for Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit 2020” headed by the
Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Labor and Welfare as the General Manager. In thisheadquarters, we will try to sort out nutrition issues and discuss about the direction of
future nutrition policies, and consider the commitment of the Ministry of Health, Laborand Welfare to be included in the outcome document of the Nutrition Summit. In addition,
we have established a Preparatory Project Team under the Preparatory Headquarters
and currently conducting specific discussions.
This fiscal year, we will be visualizing the nutrition policies that Japan has been
conducting, and we are preparing documents so that these results can be used at the
Nutrition Summit. Among them, three points are shown as appealing points of Japan's
nutrition policy:1) Nutrition policy focusing on “meal”
2) Training “human resources” and nationwide allocation
3) Policy process based on scientific "evidence"
In Japan, we have tackled a variety of nutritional issues, from undernutrition
due to food shortages before and after the war to overnutrition associated with economic
growth, as well as frailty of elderly people in recent years. We would like to conduct a
review, including these issues, and make them public. In particular, in the nutrition
policies centering on meals, we have developed nutrition policies that cover infants andthe elderly—and from the sick and wounded to the victims of disasters.
As for human resources, training of managerial dietitians and dietitians—andthe efforts to ensure that these professionals are active in the communities —and, in thecommunities, the “dietary improvement promotor” and others have been conducting
grassroots activities as volunteers along with managerial dietitians and dietitians. We
would like to disseminate these efforts as well. As a policy process, we are implementing
policies based on the National Health and Nutrition Survey and dietary intake standards,
and we would like to make these known as features of Japan's efforts so that other7

countries can refer to them.
Next, I will explain about the budget plan for the next fiscal year. In addition to
the cost of holding technical sessions at the Tokyo Nutrition Summit, we plan to conduct
a research project for international contributions on the occasion of the Summit. In orderfor the developing countries to be able to formulate and develop their nutrition policies
by themselves, we would like to investigate and analyze each country's nutrition policies,
which will lead to our international contributions. Thank you.
Yoshihiro Kanda, Director, Policy Division, Food Industry Affairs Bureau, Ministry ofAgriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
I will explain this in a one-page document called “Preparation for the Tokyo
Nutrition Summit 2020”. At the Nutrition Summit, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry
and Fisheries plans to hold a side event. We will try to come up with specific contents incooperation with related ministries and agencies. In encouraging participation of civilsociety at the Nutrition Summit, as the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
is in charge of organizing the food industries, we would like to encourage more foodcompanies to be able to consider and announce their own commitment at the Summit.
From such a viewpoint, NJPPP (Nutrition Japan Public Private Platform), a publicprivate collaboration platform for working on global nutrition improvement projects, hasbeen launched. Using this platform, we are disseminating information to the foodindustries on the progress of preparation of the Nutrition Summit, and the significanceof our nation’s hosting the Summit, as well as the roles expected on the food industries.
Specifically, we have exchanged information with the food industries in Octoberof last year and in February of this year with the cooperation of related ministries andagencies. We will continue to disseminate information to the food industries at eachmilestone and hope to raise awareness of participation of the food industries to theSummit. Thank you.
Takeshi Nishino, Director, Healthcare Industries Division, Commerce and Service
Industry Policy Group, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry held the "2nd Well Aging Society
Summit Asia-Japan" in October last year in an attempt to participate in the Tokyo
Nutrition Summit this year in the food and health fields. At the beginning of the Summit,
we had a greeting from Councilor Hanako Jimi and conducted a panel discussion on"Activating health management and prevention through food in business." This wasattended by Dr. Choji Nakamura, Chairman of the Dietetic Association, who is attending8

today; President Masumi Niwa, Designer Foods, Co. Ltd; Dr. Keiichi Abe, Chief of the
National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition; and Director
Kaminota of Health Service Division, Health Service Bureau, the Ministry of Health,
Labor and Welfare; Director Pauline Harper of the Consumer Goods Forum, a globalorganization in the consumer goods distribution industry; and President Takaaki Nishii
of Ajinomoto Co., Inc., who was also a board member of the Consumer Goods Forum. We
have tried to create contacts with companies, universities, and research institutions interms of food and health—as a place for strengthening cooperation toward the Tokyo
Nutrition

Summit among companies, universities, research

institutions, andgovernment officials.
Also, in the second phase of the Health and Medical Strategy by the Ministry of
Economy, Trade and Industry, under the fourth section of the New Business Creation
Working Group, entitled “Healthy Food and Utilization of Local Resources,” an action
plan is currently being developed. From the viewpoint of supporting the development of
the healthcare industries related to food and health, to contribute to the Nutrition
Summit, we are advancing discussions with the Dietetic Association, nutrition research
institutes, companies, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and otherrelated ministries.
Although it is not in the handout, we plan to hold the “3rd Well Aging Society
Summit Asia-Japan,” and will hold a food-related panel discussion like last year andhope to make good connection to the Nutrition Summit in December. Also, at the
Nutrition Summit, I have heard that the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
will gather people from the food industries, so we are considering participation from thecompanies as well. Thank you.
Shuichi Hosoda, Director, Development Policy Division, International Bureau, Ministryof Finance
I will explain using the handout on “Cooperation with Development FinanceInstitutions and Others for the Tokyo Nutrition Summit in the Nutrition Field.” The
World Bank attaches great importance to the nutrition sector, for it is the formation ofhuman capital as the foundation of sustainable economic growth. The Ministry of
Finance also wants to further strengthen partnerships with these efforts by development
finance institutions. For example, the World Bank has provided support in measuresagainst malnutrition through Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Trust Fund, and with GFF（Global Financing Facility）to provide maternal and child health support, such as
improving the nutritional status of women and children with the trust fund. We are9considering various kinds of cooperation in these areas. That's all.
Eriko Imai, Deputy Secretary-General, Diet Caucus on International Maternal andChild Nutrition
Thank you for your presentations. This time from the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, we heard about the three categories in the side events. I would kindly ask foryour cooperation, concerned organizations and companies, according to your form ofactivity, to raise momentum for the Nutrition Summit in Japan as a whole.
Next, regarding the adoption of our recommendation for the Nutrition Summit,
Chief Secretary Toshiko Abe, please, the floor is yours.
3. Adoption of the Recommendations for Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit by Diet
Caucus on International Maternal and Child Nutrition
Toshiko Abe, Chief Secretary, Diet Caucus on International Maternal and Child
Nutrition
Please refer to the “Recommendations for Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit
2020” in your hands.
The Diet Caucus on International Maternal and Child Nutrition has beenasserting the importance of global nutrition issues since its establishment in 2015. In
December 2017 at the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Forum, Prime Minister Abeannounced that Japan will host a Nutrition Summit on the occasion of the Tokyo
Olympics and Paralympics in 2020. Efforts to improve nutrition are essential forachieving all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) promoted by the Government ofJapan. Also, there is evidence that every $1 invested in nutrition will provide an average
return of $16 in benefit. In order for Japan to demonstrate strong leadership addressing
global malnutrition as the host country of the Nutrition Summit, the Diet Caucus
proposes the following to the Government of Japan:
1) Financial Commitment from the Japanese Government
At the Nutrition for Growth Summit in London in 2013, Japan pledged US$500 million
in health ODA and committed $100 million to the World Bank, including assistance toaddress undernutrition. However, Japan has not reported its figures to the Global
Nutrition Report and Japan's contributions within the framework of the Nutrition
Summit are recognized as “no financial pledge” by the international community. At the10Nutrition Summit in December 2020, we recommend that the Government of Japanannounces its concrete financial commitment in the area of nutrition improvement.
2) Building Strategy and Strengthening System of Coordination
Prime Minister Abe has spoken at various international conferences on theimportance of the Nutrition Summit and international nutrition improvement. Yet, thebasics of UHC still lacks reference to the importance of nutrition. To this end,collaboration between government institutions as well as all stakeholders including
private companies, NGOs, and academia must be strengthened. Ahead of the Nutrition
Summit in December, we recommend that the Government of Japan strengthen the
cross-ministerial strategy development and system of coordination for international
nutrition, ensuring that Japan demonstrates further contribution for international
nutrition to the rest of the world.
3) Improving Monitoring and Reporting
Lastly, improvement of monitoring and reporting. We recommend that theGovernment of Japan provides appropriate and accurate reporting to the OECD-DAC
Credit Reporting System (CRS) and other reporting systems, in order to communicate
widely Japan's contribution in the field of international nutrition.
I would like everyone to approve this.
Eriko Imai, Deputy Secretary-General, Diet Caucus on International Maternal andChild Nutrition
Would you all approve the recommendation? If you can approve it, please clap
your hands. (Claps from the floor.) Thank you for your consent. Next, we would like tohear from the diet members participating today.
4. Comments by the diet members (in the order of appearance)
Keizo Takemi, Acting Chairperson, Diet Caucus on International Maternal and Child
Nutrition
Thank you for your attendance today. I have been working mainly on Universal
Health Coverage (UHC) within the SDGs. The main reason this (UHC) was included asa target of SDGs Goal 3 is the idea that we cannot achieve the many targets of SDGs by2030 without a policy concept that enables multiple disciplines to be coordinated in cross11

sectional manner in promoting health.
Indeed, in this field of nutrition, we cannot solve problems without thecollaboration of many disciplines. And by solving nutrition issues, the health of many
people will steadily be improved. In the context of the SDGs, I have noticed that, like
UHC, the "nutrition" aspect could actually have one important symbolic role linking
many disciplines.
Once again, if our nation can take a major role linking the achievement of thegoals of the SDGs as a whole and the policy concept regarding health like UHC in multisectoral manner, through this area of nutrition with the Nutrition for Growth Summit,
Japan can take a very large policy initiative.
At the same time, it is important for the Tokyo Nutrition Summit 2020 to makesuch a policy arrangement and at the same time to have a wide variety of people tounderstand it. To do so, besides having important discussions at the Nutrition Summit
meetings, many NGOs, NPOs, and companies should participate in the side events, andby doing so, that Marunouchi office area will be filled with the tempo (momentum) for
nutrition —and to communicate to the world the understanding of such activities
actually being carried out in our nation by news media and SNS. If we can do so, I thinkthat the Tokyo Nutrition Summit will be a great success.
By all means, I would like to ask for your support so that we can have such greatoutcomes in every aspect, and I would like to make it my only comment.
Takeaki Matsumoto, Vice Chairperson, Diet Caucus on International Maternal andChild Nutrition
This is Takeaki Matsumoto, a member of the House of Representatives, who isalso the Vice President of the Diet Caucus. I completely agree with what Councillor
Takemi said. I think we are facing various issues, including the SDGs; and thesustainability of the earth, the environment, and the mankind. To solve such issues, it isvery important that the movement itself is sustainable. Although I recognize a fairly
broad solidarity in the framework through nutrition, and it is important to have much
more participation from the private sector and, as Councillor Takemi said, to connect tothe understanding of many people. I would like to support and hope that the (Tokyo
Nutrition Summit) will be an event that does not just stay “in the box”.
Masaaki Taniai, Member of the House of Councillors.
This is Taniai of the Komeito Party. Thank you for today. We hope that Komeito
will do our best for a great success of the Tokyo Nutrition Summit this December.
12

I am not very familiar (with nutrition), but on the other hand, while not familiar with it,
one of the points I thought of was the SDGs implementation guidelines which werecompiled at the end of last year. I have heard that there is some debate as to whether
some issues, especially poverty and disparity in Japan, are not fully included. From theperspective of nutrition, I have the impression that people have put relatively moreemphasis (weight) on international cooperation, but what is the current problem ofpoverty in Japan? In Japan, we currently have the issues such as children's cafeteria
and others, so the diet members of Japan should work hard on these issues. The second
point is that when we look around the world, it is extremely important to improve
nutrition in those countries affected by conflicts. Considering this, countries receiving
bilateral assistance may be well off, but how can we deal with conflict areas where
support is not readily available? To solve this, the assistance through UN agencies
becomes important. During the time of the approval of the supplementary budget, thebudgets have been reduced for UNHCR, UNICEF, and WFP. So again, toward the
Nutrition Summit, it is important to assert our nation’s commitment to thesehumanitarian agencies—which may not be limited to financial aspects, but including
human resources. That's all I have to say.
Eriko Imai, Deputy Secretary-General, Diet Caucus on International Maternal andChild Nutrition
Thank you. So, we would like to have opinions, comments, and questions about
the Tokyo Nutrition Summit from the organizations participating today. What about UN
agencies? I am sorry, but please speak briefly.
5. Questions and Answers
Yasumasa Kimura, Director, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Tokyo office
UNICEF puts great importance in the Tokyo Nutrition Summit, and we affirm
the participation of our Executive Director. To raise momentum for the Nutrition Summit,
along with the Government of Japan and the United Nations Permanent Mission, we
will be organizing a high-level side event in early April. As Councillor Takemi said,
UNICEF takes a cross-sectional approach to multidisciplinary areas of health, water andsanitation, nutrition, and education. In the field of humanitarian assistance, we areplaying a central role as a cluster lead, and we look forward to contributing to thisNutrition Summit. Thank you.

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Mitsugu Hamai, Government Partnerships World Food Programme (WFP) Japan
Relations Office
We received updates from the ministries and agencies on the progress of the
Nutrition Summit, and I felt that there was a rise of excitement toward its opening. WFP
has steadily been preparing for it. We would like to make contributions in harmony with
the Japanese ministries and agencies. In particular, it has been encouraging that thepresentations by the related ministries and agencies have talked about what WFP isgood at in international assistance, such as food and school lunches, nutrition, and the
involvement of private companies and associated logistics improvements. We are trying
to focus especially on the areas that create synergies among WFP activities and the
Nutrition Summit, and are preparing for side events and participation on the high-level.
Thank you very much.
Kae Mihara, Liaison Officer, Liaison Office in Japan, Food and Agriculture Organizationof the United Nations (FAO)
FAO places great emphasis on the Tokyo Nutrition Summit 2020, and the
Director-General of the headquarters in Rome is considering participation. Of the five
Nutrition Summit working group themes, FAO leads the “Food: Building a Healthy andSustainable Food System”, along with the UK's Department of International
Development (DFID). In addition, we are also supporting FAO member countries aroundthe world to make sure to develop a commitment to the Nutrition Summit. Thank you.
Mihoko Kashiwakura. Head of Japan, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The Gates Foundation is working closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and the Ministry of Finance to prepare for the Nutrition Summit in December. We hopethat the Tokyo Nutrition Summit in December will be successful, and we want to makethe most of what we can do, so that a lot of commitments are made there. The Gates
Foundation hopes to send an executive member to the event in December, and before
that, in July, as a kickoff, the Foundation plans to announce a strategy and commitment
for nutrition. We would like to raise momentum for the area of nutrition. Thank you toall.
Hiroko Hongo, Chair, Infant and Young Child Feeding Support Network in JapanWe are a network organization that specializes in infant nutrition. We translate
booklets and others materials for infant nutrition in the event of a disaster, which I thinkthat FAO, WHO and UNICEF would know. Today I also have documents that show that14

all of the Sustainable Development Goals are related to breastfeeding, so if you like, I
could hand it to you. In addition, organizations like Scaling Up Nutrition has an ethicalcode that they do not receive any funding in the nutrition field from companies that sell
infant formula. This is because WHO has the international code for marketing ofbreastmilk substitutes. In Japan and other countries, I would like to remind you that it
is very important to adhere to this international standard, so that those who want tobreastfeed can do so. Thank you very much.
Eriko Imai, Deputy Secretary-General, Diet Caucus on International Maternal andChild Nutrition
Thank you. How about from the academia?
Teiji Nakamuteira, President, Kanagawa University of Human Services/ President,
Japan Dietetic Association
In terms of an academic, I'm the president of a university, so I would like to talkabout an academic issue. The study of nutrition has its origin in France in the late 18th
century. Because people must die if they do not eat, the researches pursued a "source oflife." (As a result) about 40 nutrients were found. Therefore, although human beings
have various issues, such as health, welfare, and happiness, problems cannot be solved
without life, and nutrition is the basis for that. So, as Councillor Takemi has said, it isobvious that nutrition relates to various areas, and we must first guarantee life.
To do so, we need to ensure proper nutrition. I believe this (Tokyo Nutrition
Summit) is a great opportunity to eradicate malnutrition in mankind. Fortunately,Japan is a nation that very much values nutrition. This is a rare country that solved the
problem of post-war undernutrition equally in a short period of about 10 to 20 years.
After high economic growth has occurred, we have suffered from obesity and metabolism
due to overnutrition, but obesity began to decrease several years ago, and diabetes has
been decreasing. In other words, Japan is the only nation in the world that has overcome
both "undernutrition" and "overnutrition" that the world is struggling with. So, we
maintain the world's longest living nation.
I think that we are a nation that experienced a very important turning point.
With the Nutrition Summit, I hope that Japan shares its experiences with the rest of theworld, so that people of the world will become healthy and long-living, so that Japan will
not be the only longest living nation. To do so, the Japan Dietetic Association wants tofully collaborate. Thank you very much.

15

Eriko Imai, Deputy Secretary-General, Diet Caucus on International Maternal andChild Nutrition
Everyone, thank you for the active discussions today. Finally, we would like tohave closing remarks by the Secretary-General of the Diet Caucus, Ms. Karen
Makishima.
6. Closing Remarks
Karen Makishima, Secretary-General, Diet Caucus on International Maternal and Child
Nutrition
Thank you to all for your attendance today. As explained by the ministries andagencies, when we held this meeting last time, we confirmed how much progress had
been made toward the Nutrition Summit in December, and after that we had several
meetings with among the executive members afterwards. After confirming that we haveenough progress for the preparation, we are pleased to welcome you today. The results
are the handouts from the ministries and agencies today.
In particular, as explained by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we have official
events in December, but sub-events can also be held. In response to your request, after
you submit an application, you could put on the official logo of the Nutrition Summit in
the venues arranged by yourselves, and the event can be held anywhere in Japan, andthe event date does not have to be in December.
As early as next month, you and your partner organizations could propose to hold a subevent anywhere in Japan. Details will be announced on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
website from April onwards, so please have each group submit an application, and after
the application has been accepted, please raise momentum for the events related to the
Nutrition Summit. With that in mind—although not every organization could speak
today—I would like to ask for your support.
Regardingfinancialcommitment,

we

have

also

presented

inthe“Recommendation for the Tokyo Nutrition Summit 2020.” However, commitments are
not limited to funding. Policy commitments could also be made. In particular,commitments required for the civil society is most likely to announce your intension on
the policy aspects like "our organization will be proceeding this way. We will strive toimprove nutrition towards these goals." This is why this Diet Caucus exists. I would liketo ask all the organizations to please read the policy commitment part of the handout (bythe Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and use it in your activities. I would be grateful if you
could join as an actor of the Nutrition Summit.
16

During this time, we held this session in a limited time of 50 minutes. We thankyou for your cooperation, and look forward to seeing every movement to be rolled out toDecember. And hope to hear about good practices (on nutrition) and about them
expanding in a horizontal way. Thank you all for today.
Eriko Imai, Deputy Secretary-General, Diet Caucus on International Maternal andChild Nutrition
Thank you. The session is closed now. Everyone, thank you very much.
Fin

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