New Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada said Friday that his press conferences will be open to all members of the media in principle, including the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan and those registered as foreign reporters.
Until now, the press conferences were restricted to media organizations belonging to the Foreign Ministry's "press club." Japan's press club system has often been criticized as a government tool for arbitrarily controlling media access. Advance registration will required to attend the press conferences as a risk-managing measure.
Okada also said that he would basically hold regular news conferences in the ministry twice a week.
While the frequency is unchanged, Okada also said that, if possible, he would like to avoid inheriting the traditional practice of speaking to reporters at the Diet building or prime minister's office.