of leaders and policymakers began to assume a greater role in government decision making and as public attitudes on foreign policy issues matured, there were indications that foreign affairs were being conducted on the basis of a more stable consensus. The current Minister for Foreign Affairs is Yoshimasa Hayashi. Diplomatic Bluebook The is an annual report produced by the Ministry outlining the government's foreign policy and assessment of international political trends. The Bluebook was first issued in 1957. The report can trigger reactions from other countries upset with relevant Japanese policy. For instance, the omission of the phrase "South Korea is our most important neighbor" and the addition of "South Korea's occupation of [the Liancourt Rocks] is illegal" in the 2018 Bluebook caused significant controversy with the South Korean government. Main branches Minister's Secretariat Chief of Protocol Press Secretary / Director-General for Press and Public Relations Public Diplomacy Department Foreign Policy Bureau Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Science Department Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs Department North American Affairs Bureau Latin American and Caribbean Affairs Bureau European Affairs Bureau Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau Director-General for Sub-Saharan African Affairs Economic Affairs Bureau International Cooperation Bureau Director-General for Global Issues International Legal Affairs Bureau Consular Affairs Bureau Intelligence and Analysis Service Foreign Service Training Institute See also List of diplomatic missions in Japan List of diplomatic missions of Japan Foreign policy of Japan Foreign relations of Japan Gaikoku bugyō Katsuhiko Oku International child abduction in Japan References – Japan Kenkyusha's New Japanese–English Dictionary, Kenkyusha Limited, Tokyo 1991, External links Foreign relations of Japan Japan Foreign Affairs Japan, Foreign Affairs 1947 establishments in Japan