On April 2, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) established the DPJ Diplomatic Network Initiative, details as follows:

1. Purpose
Diplomacy is something that is built on diverse networks that encompass the entire nation. These are not limited to interactions between governments, but also extend to interactions between political parties, parliaments and parliamentarians, as well as private sector companies and grassroots civil society interactions. Based on this reality, the mission of the DPJ should be to utilize the networks and connections with other countries that have been developed to date in order to maintain and enhance the prestige of the DPJ in the international community.

To this end the DPJ Diplomatic Network Initiative has been established as a means of utilizing the human networks not only of current Diet members, but also of former Diet members, particularly those who have had experience of serving in ministerial positions when the DPJ was in office as the ruling party. These networks will be utilized to transmit information concerning DPJ policies around the world and the DPJ Diplomatic Network Initiative itself will serve as a forum to maintain and develop these important human networks.

2. Structure
Advisors: DPJ Supreme Advisor Katsuya Okada (previous Deputy Prime Minister, former Minister for Foreign Affairs); Diet member (R) Seiji Maehara (previous Minister for National Policy, former Minister for Foreign Affairs, former Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism); DPJ Acting Chair of the Policy Research Committee Takeaki Matsumoto (former Minister for Foreign Affairs); Diet member (R) Koichiro Gemba (previous Minister for Foreign Affairs, former Minister for National Policy); previous Diet member Yoshito Sengoku (former Chief Cabinet Secretary); previous Diet member Tatsuo Kawabata (former Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, former Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications)
Chair: DPJ Vice President Masayuki Naoshima (former Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry)
Secretary General: DPJ Secretary General Goshi Hosono (former Minister of State for Nuclear Power Policy and Administration, former Minister of the Environment)
Deputy Secretary General: DPJ Director-General of the International Department of the Administration Committee Yuji Fujimoto (former Senior Vice Minister of the Cabinet Office, former Parliamentary Secretary of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism)
Director General: Diet member (R) Makiko Kikuta (former Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs)

3. Activities
- In view of the fact that current Diet members are restricted in their ability to make overseas visits during periods when the Diet is in session, efforts will be made to develop diplomacy with the additional assistance of former Diet members. By dispatching current and former Diet members who possess and maintain a diplomatic network on overseas visits approximately once every few months, efforts will be made to maintain and develop such networks.
- Efforts will be made to maintain and develop networks with overseas officials, with whom links have been developed through initiatives that were advanced during the DPJ Administration, including “Overseas Deployment of Integrated Infrastructure Systems” and “Economic Diplomacy.”
- Activities will be implemented to acquire information from other countries concerning various free trade negotiations, including on bilateral negotiations for Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) and Free Trade Agreements (FTA).
- Activities will be implemented to build information networks that will be useful to Japanese companies and people who are based overseas.
- Where necessary, any information that is attained will be shared with the Government, with the aim of enhancing Japan’s diplomacy on a nationwide level.
- The International Department of the DPJ functions as the main contact point for facilitating interaction between the DPJ and international organizations and diplomatic missions in Japan, as well as for accepting and arranging visits to Japan by overseas delegations. Given the facilitative and supporting role that can be played by the International Department, it will engage in close cooperation with the DPJ Diplomatic Network Initiative structure to advance activities under the initiative. It will be particularly beneficial for the DPJ Diplomatic Network Initiative and the International Department to advance their joint mission in conjunction with efforts to promote exchange under the Japan-China Exchange and Discussion Mechanism, with United Russia, and with political parties in the United States, among others.

*(R) indicates that he/she is a member of the House of Representatives.