(* 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 Masahiko Koumura

Date: Tuesday, September 25, 2007, 8:16 p.m.
Place: Press Conference Room in the Prime Minister's Office

Main topics:

Greetings
Anti-Terrorism Special Measures Law
Appointment to Foreign Minister
North Korean Issues
Report on Balance of Expenses and Receipts for Political Funds
Directions from Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda

1. Greetings

Minister:
My name is Masahiko Koumura and I have been appointed to serve as Minister for Foreign Affairs.

It is in the national interests of Japan to defend our nation's peace and independence and based on that, to build Japan as a prosperous nation. I intend through the pursuit of diplomatic policies to aim for these goals. With that in mind I intend to strive to make the Japan-United States alliance an even firmer one while I also thoroughly conduct international coordination. I also believe that there must be a need to further advance an improvement in our relations with neighboring countries. The fight against terrorism is an issue which must be addressed by the entire international community and I intend to continue to make efforts so that we can continue the refueling operations being carried out by the Maritime Self-Defense Force, which have received great appreciation from the international community and which are in the national interests of Japan. Regarding our relations with North Korea, I intend to make even more efforts to resolve the nuclear, missile and terrorism issues, and to strive to achieve normalization in our relations. Next year the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV), and the G8 Summit will be held in Japan and these will provide opportunities for Japan to display leadership. Premised on that I believe that there is a need for us to further strengthen our structure for carrying out diplomacy.

2. Anti-Terrorism Special Measures Law

Question:
Regarding the new law relating to the fight against terrorism, under the Abe Cabinet there was the policy that the new law would be pursued even if it meant seeking a revote to get a two thirds majority in the House of Representatives. What approach will be taken under the Fukuda Cabinet ?

Minister:
We intend to make efforts to allow for the current activities to be continued. It would be best if the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) came to understand the situation and we all were able to agree on the enactment of the law. For that reason, we intend to do our utmost to see to the enactment of the law.

Question:
Regarding the new law for the refueling activities in the Indian Ocean, during your tenure as Minister for Defense, you made a certain statement to the effect that there was no requirement to gain approval from the Diet. Now as one member of the Fukuda Cabinet, is there any change to your way of thinking in this regard?

Minister:
It is not the case that I stated that there was no need to seek Diet approval. At the time, we could not understand what kind of new law would be created. And if we were to remove the requirement for Diet approval then we would have to create a situation in which removing it would be OK, such as through a mechanism that would thoroughly secure civilian control. Therefore if that were to amount to the creation of a new law, then that would be the case. This is what I said at the time. With various options presented to us, amidst those options, if we were to decide to do that, then perhaps it would be the case that we would need to seek new approval from the Diet. But in the event that the law itself would serve as an alternative to Diet approval, and only in specific situations where that were possible, then perhaps even without Diet approval it might not be a problem from the perspective of civilian control. At the time, that was the general argument that I referred to.

Question:
Are you of the view that the law should be enacted during this extraordinary session of the Diet, even if it is necessary to extend the period of this extraordinary session of the Diet in order to achieve that?

Minister:
It would be better if we could pass the law during this extraordinary session of the Diet. It would be even better if we could pass it without having to extend the period of the extraordinary session of the Diet. Even if hypothetically we are forced to temporarily cease deliberations, then it would be better for us to keep that temporary cessation to as short as possible a period.

Related Information (Counter Terrorism)

3. Appointment to Foreign Minister

Question:
You have shifted laterally from your position as Minister for Defense to Minister for Foreign Affairs. Is this something that you were able to some degree to predict?

Minister:
From the time that such reports began to appear on television, I began somewhat to think I guess that could happen.

Question:
Both Foreign Minister and Defense Minister were appointed for the second time. This gives the impression that there is a shortage of qualified personnel. What are your thoughts on that?

Minister:
I certainly do not think that there is any shortage of personnel. There are many qualified people within the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). However, there is the view now that the LDP is up against a difficult situation, and therefore I would suppose that the Prime Minister made the decision that it would be best to bring in experienced people and there is also the consideration that the Prime Minister wanted to minimize, as much as possible, any changes that would take place during the ongoing Diet session. If a Cabinet reshuffle were to take place under normal conditions, I believe that there would be as many qualified people as necessary.

4. North Korean Issues

Question:
Regarding North Korean issues, there is a principle of "dialogue and pressure." How do you intend to strike the right balance between those?

Minister:
It is extremely difficult to say what kind of balance would be right, but I intend to carry on with just the right balance by adjusting flexibly to the needs of the times.

Question:
It appears that until now, "pressure" has taken the forefront. What are your thoughts on that?

Minister:
In a word a probable decision to which end we should give more weight depends on conditions for each time. There would be a slight difference in the decision taken at a time when it appears likely that the United States and other nations would join together to apply pressure from a time when that does not seem to be the case. I intend to maintain my perspective on all circumstances and strike the right balance.

5. Report on Balance of Expenses and Receipts for Political Funds

Question:
What are your views on whether or not public disclosure should be made of the Report on Balance of Expenses and Receipts for Political Funds, and the receipts to be attached to such reports?

Minister:
I believe that it will be better for a person in the Cabinet not to comment on this matter. It is natural that all politicians will abide by whatever rules are decided by everyone.

6. Directions from Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda

Question:
Did Prime Minister Fukuda give you any specific directions when he appointed you as Foreign Minister?

Minister:
The Prime Minister briefly handed me the paper and said to me, "It may not be necessary to tell you these, but please do the following things." However, I did not have enough time to thoroughly read it, but I believe that it contains the matters which I spoke of at the outset of this press conference.

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