With a woman in charge of foreign policy for the first time in almost two decades, the appointment of Yoko Kamikawa as foreign minister might have changed the face of Japan¡¯s diplomacy, but any significant shift in the country¡¯s outward-looking posture is highly unlikely.

Protecting Japan¡¯s national interests, increasing its leverage in global affairs and listening to the voices of citizens ¡ª these will be the three key pillars at the foundation of Japan¡¯s diplomatic policy, Kamikawa said Thursday in her first news conference after assuming office in a Cabinet reshuffle the previous day.

The foreign minister, a Harvard-educated veteran with experience working for a U.S. senator, reiterated the importance of the bilateral alliance with the United States and the necessity of exerting Japan¡¯s leadership on the international stage.