Japan-Chile Foreign Ministers' Meeting

March 29, 2012
Japanese

(Photo)Japan-Chile Foreign Ministers' Meeting-2

On Thursday, March 29, Mr. Koichiro Gemba, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, held a meeting with H.E. Mr. Alfredo Moreno Charme, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Chile, who is visiting Japan along with H.E. Dr. Sebastián Piñera Echenique, President of the Republic of Chile, as part of a Working Visit to Japan. The outline of the meeting is as follows.

At the start of the meeting, Minister Gemba expressed his gratitude for the cooperation Japan received from Chile following the Great East Japan Earthquake, and appreciated Chile's decision to lift all restrictions on imports from Japan. Minister Gemba also noted that both countries are earthquake-prone and need to undertake mutual earthquake support closely. Minister Gemba called on Minister Moreno and relevant cabinet members to attend a high-level international conference on large-scale natural disasters scheduled to be held in July this year. In response, Minister Moreno thanked Minister Gemba for the invitation, and said that Chile was extremely grateful for the support from Japan thus far following earthquakes. Minister Moreno noted that a great deal should be learned from the early warning systems against earthquakes and tsunamis that Japan has, and that Chile would very much like to attend the international conference in July. Minister Gemba replied that the technology that Japanese companies posses would also be able to contribute to introducing early warning systems in Chile.
Minister Gemba mentioned the bilateral economic relationships have been deepening since the entry into force of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) in 2007, and touched on the fact that Japan was reliant largely on Chile for mineral resources. To this, Minister Moreno expressed his expectations of further investment in the mining sector by Japanese companies and that such investment would lead to the cultivation of an added-value industrial foundation. Furthermore, Minister Moreno referred to Chile's intention to further utilize the EPA. He added that Chile wanted to offer every measure of support for Japan's participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and that Chile was prepared to continue to provide the necessary information.
Minister Gemba expressed gratitude for Chile's support of Japan's position on the reform of the United Nations, at which point Minister Moreno said that Japan's admission as a permanent member of the UN Security Council was naturally vital to create a Security Council that reflects the new realities of the international community, and that Chile would continue to support Japan's admission.
Minister Gemba noted that the North Korean issue was also a matter of interest to the international community, that Japan was urging North Korea to refrain the planned launch of a missile. He stated that Japan wanted Chile to cooperate with this issue. He also expressed gratitude for Chile's support on the UN Resolutions on the situation concerning human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and asked for the country's continued support. Minister Moreno replied that Chile's position and Japan's position were identical with regard to both the launching of so-called satellites and human rights issues.
Minister Gemba said Japan was paying close attention to the Pacific Alliance (Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Chile), one of the regional integrations in Latin America. Minister Moreno replied that the Pacific Alliance was an alliance of countries with open economies that places an emphasis on the Asia-Pacific region, and that Japan's involvement would be welcome.
In addition, the Ministers exchanged views on the Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Initiative (NPDI), the situation in Myanmar, and other issues.

(*The foregoing is a provisional translation. The date indicated above denotes the date of issue of the original press release in Japanese.)

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