Japan's Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi has urged the Group of 20 economies to take the initiative in fostering more international cooperation.



Iwaya spoke to reporters on Friday in South Africa, where he was attending a G20 foreign ministers meeting.



Iwaya said the international community increasingly faces division and confrontation, and that Japan's mission is to turn that into harmony.



He also called for dialogue to identify more areas of common ground and reduce points of conflict.



Iwaya said the responsibility lies with the entire G20, including developed nations, major emerging economies and members of the Global South.