(* This is a provisional translation by an external company for reference purpose only. The original text is in Japanese.)

Press Conference by Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Aso

Date: Tuesday, July 24, 2007, 8:20 a.m.
Place: Briefing Room, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Main topic:

North Korean issues

1. North Korean issues

Question:
The Heads of Delegation Meeting of the Six-Party Talks took place last week. I would like to hear your remarks on how this meeting turned out.

Minister:
Even though there was nearly a five-month delay in implementing the February commitment, I do think that we should consider it a certain advancement. At the very least, we are now going into the next stage beyond the initial actions and we will be working out how exactly to move forward. Tentatively, that is the schedule. Five working groups are each scheduled to be convened and they will implement their respective actions. What will be done at the next stage has not been decided yet, but I believe that we should consider the fact that the working groups have been established and are scheduled to be convened to be a certain degree of achievement.

Question:
What is the timeframe for the Japan-North Korea working group?

Minister:
I believe sometime by the middle of August, but to be precise, no exact schedule has been drawn up, and the location for the meeting of the working group has not been decided on, either.

Question:
I believe that the agenda for the Japan-North Korea working group will include issues such as normalization of diplomatic relations. However, will the Government of Japan stick steadfastly to the premise that resolution of the abduction issue must come first?

Minister:
The abduction issue is a big issue. This is the basic premise for normalization of Japan-North Korea relations. Naturally, from North Korea's point of view, there remain issues of the past to be resolved, and from Japan's point of view, the actual state of affairs is that the so-called abduction issue is a big problem that is acting as a large barrier to the normalization of relations.

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