The Japanese government stated its stance in a letter sent to WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the minister said.
"WTO negotiations continue [despite the postponement of the meeting]. We believe that the very essence of the international trade system should not be lost during the promotion of the course of reforms. Japan will continue to take an active part in the negotiations," Hayashi said.
The WTO meeting was scheduled to take place from Monday to Friday in Geneva, with about 4,000 participants, including heads of state and about 220 ministers. The previous WTO ministerial conference was held in 2017 in Buenos Aires.