(* 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 MACHIMURA Nobutaka

Date: Tuesday, September 18, 2007, 11:12 a.m.
Place: Briefing Room, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Main topics:

Informal Cabinet Meetings
North Korean Issues
Meeting with Chief Cabinet Secretary
Election for President of the Liberal Democratic Party
Participation at United Nations General Assembly

1. Informal Cabinet Meetings

Minister:
A Informal Cabinet Meeting was held beginning at 10: 00 this morning. Amongst the matters discussed were the acceptances given to the appointments of current Ambassador to Singapore, Takaaki Kojima to serve as our Ambassador to Australia and current Ambassador to Iran, Hideaki Domichi to serve as our Ambassador to India.

It appears that reports have already come out in some media but I can tell you that following the conclusion of the Informal Cabinet Meeting, the Chief Cabinet Secretary stated that on Tuesday 25 September an Extraordinary Cabinet Meeting will be held and there is a likelihood that all of the cabinet ministers will submit their resignations. In fact the Chief Cabinet Secretary touched on this matter during his press conference.

2. North Korean Issues

Question:
Regarding the Six Party Talks, it seems that there has been a delay to the next round which was to have begun tomorrow. Can you please confirm the facts behind that and what background there is to it, as well as your understanding of when the next meeting will likely be held?

Minister:
On 17 September we received an informal notification from China, which is the host nation, stating that "the meeting cannot be held on 19 September." My understanding is that China, which is the host nation, will be coordinating the efforts to hold the next meeting. There was no communication at all regarding the reason for the postponement.

Question:
A ministerial meeting of the Six-Party Talks was scheduled to be held. As a result of this don't you think that there is an increased likelihood that the ministerial holding of the meeting will be pushed back even further?

Minister:
There has been no concrete discussion at all regarding the holding of a ministerial meeting and therefore the postponement and all other matters relating to this will be discussed in the future.

Question:
In your analysis, what influence will the postponement have on the talk that was taking place on decommissioning the nuclear capacity before the end of this year?

Minister:
We have thus far had the experience that as far as these Six Party Talks are concerned, things do not really proceed along the scheduled course that they are initially planned to go according to. Do not take that to mean that I am saying that it is a good thing that there is a delay, but it is a fact that there are various factors which tend to cause delays in this process. I absolutely do not think that this is a good thing. However, it has been our experience that unless a certain country agrees to come along with the process there really is nothing we can do about it. As for Japan, we hope that the consultations can be reconvened at the earliest possible date and that we can reach agreement as soon as possible. From its perspective, Japan intends to work as hard as it can in that direction.

3. Meeting with Chief Cabinet Secretary

(See Japanese version)

4. Election for President of the Liberal Democratic Party

Question:
Regarding the election for president of the Liberal Democratic Party it is being said that the statements by the two candidates are very much alike, however it is also being frequently pointed out that there are some differences between them in their views regarding policies vis-à-vis North Korea. Given that there currently is a high possibility that we will see the arrival of Mr. Fukuda as the next prime minister, there are speculative reports that we are going to see a minor revision in the Government's policies toward North Korea. Do you believe that there should be a minor revision?

Minister:
From my part I have not made the decision that there is a high probability that we will see the arrival of Mr. Fukuda as the next prime minister, and therefore I cannot respond to a question which presupposes that that is the case. It would still be inappropriate for me to make any comment to the effect that there would be a change in our diplomatic policies simply based on the nuances of the content touched upon during speeches made in public by the candidates. When it comes to diplomacy, there is always continuity. In any event, once the new Cabinet has been established, I am sure that the new administration will conduct thorough consultations not only on North Korea, but on various policies affecting our external policies, and of course our domestic policies as well. I am certain that those matters which are deemed worthy of continuing will be continued and those matters that need to be changed will be changed. Still, all of this will be considered once the new administration is in place. I am only stating the obvious when I say these things.

5. Participation at United Nations General Assembly

Question:
Given the outlook for a resignation en masse by all of the members of the Cabinet on 25 September, it would appear that it will be very difficult for the foreign minister to attend the meetings related to the United Nations.

Minister:
We are currently giving consideration to that.

Question:
Can I understand you to mean by that that you would like to attend it if possible?

Minister:
The scheduling seems very doubtful.

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