(* This is a provisional translation by "WIP ジャパン" for reference purpose only. The original text is in Japanese.)
Press Conference by Foreign Minister Taro Aso
Date: Tuesday, September 26, 2006, 9:40 a.m.
Place: Briefing Room, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Main topics:
- Cabinet Meeting/Informal Cabinet Meeting
- Resignation of the Cabinet
- Japan-China relations
1. Cabinet Meeting/Informal Cabinet Meeting
Minister:
This was the last meeting of the Koizumi Cabinet. Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Nakagawa reported on his visit to Australia. Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Nikai reported on his visit to China and meeting with Minister of Commerce, Bo Xilai. Finally, there was sharing of the Prime Minister's comments regarding the resignation of the Cabinet.
2. Resignation of the Cabinet
Question:
Having served as the last foreign minister in the Koizumi Cabinet, based on that experience, what qualifications do you think are required of the foreign minister in the Abe Cabinet?
Minister:
I think the basic requirements for a foreign minister are the same in any Cabinet. A foreign minister should consider the national interest and minimize risks facing the state. I work with this idea. In this sense, what is of the utmost importance is to always work to ensure the security and prosperity of the nation and its people. I recall that either Eden or Churchill once said: "30% of the struggle for the nation is sincerity. The remaining 70% is just struggle for the nation." This goes for Japan, too. This country, more than any other, has enjoyed the fruits of peace. We need to always keep in mind how to sustain and maintain peace throughout the world, and not only in the Middle East, which in turn leads to prosperity for Japan. And in today's world, peace for Japan alone is not enough; we also need peace in other countries. In this sense, we need to strive to contribute to peace in a variety of ways. Our will to fight will deter wars as a result. This is a lesson that we learned from history. If we are firm in this view, regardless of the current situation, I don't believe that the basics for a foreign minister under anyone's Cabinet are any different.
Question:
What was the most striking event, including any act of government, that you experienced during your time in office?
Minister:
What struck me most during the 330 or so days of my time of office was the fact that the administrative backbone of the Foreign Ministry, including the budgetary side of things, had greatly weakened. There was worry over various issues such as overseas allowances. There had been a loss confidence following the secrets fund incident. In this sense, I focused on rebuilding the budget and thereby restoring a bit backbone to the ministry. In addition, foreign ministerial meetings between Japan and China had been put on hold since about last May. Relations between juniors shouldn't have to suffer simply because their two seniors are not getting along. So another striking event was the resumption of foreign ministerial meetings. Speaking of incidents, another one was the United Nations Security Council resolution regarding the North Korea missiles. There was also my visit to Baghdad. Also, the reorganization carried out during the fiscal year was rather different from any that had happened before. Reorganization does not usually happen in the middle of the fiscal year. It was required not least because of the Conference for Overseas Economic Cooperation, amongst other things.
Question:
Minister Aso, your grandfather, Mr. Shigeru Yoshida, also had the experience of being Foreign Minister, meaning there is almost something fateful about your position. What do you imagine Mr. Shigeru Yoshida's assessment of Foreign Minister Aso's tenure would be?
Minister:
I would have to ask the deceased that one.
Question:
With today's succession of the new Minister, what would you most wish to hand on to your successor?
Minister:
More than anything else, the organization and staffing of the Foreign Ministry have to be strengthened. This came out in our policy agreement discussion with Komeito Party, too. We have continued to make cut-backs in the Ministry in line with other government bodies. In contrast to this, the number of countries in the world has increased. The Soviet Union turned into fifteen countries, Yugoslavia became several more countries, and African countries increased to 53. There are now a total of 192 countries in the world. This means that there are quite a number of African countries with embassies in Japan where Japan does not have an embassy. Within the former Soviet Union, Japan has embassies in only four out of the total of fourteen (not including Russia) while China has embassies in all of them. Looking at this situation, without building a solid foundation, whatever initiatives we might want to undertake are simply not physically possible. Nothing is more important than doing what we have to do. It will, I think, take time to come to grips this necessity. This is perhaps what I most wish to see taken up.
3. Japan-China relations
Question:
You met China's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Dai Bingguo yesterday. What are the prospects of a top-level meeting between Japan and China under the new Cabinet?
Minister:
I cannot comment at this stage.
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