(* 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 Hirofumi Nakasone

Date: Tuesday, December 9, 2008, 10:46 a.m.
Place: Briefing Room, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Main topics:

Opening Statement
- (1) Attendance at the Japan-China-ROK Trilateral Summit Meeting by Mr. Hirofumi Nakasone, Minister for Foreign Affairs
- (2) Emergency Grant Aid for Flood Disaster in the Republic of Yemen
The Japan-China-ROK Trilateral Summit Meeting
Entry by Chinese Marine Research Vessel into the Territorial Waters of the Senkaku Islands
Visit to Japan by Mr. Naryshkin Sergei Evgenievich, Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of the Russian Federation
North Korean Issues
Activities Undertaken to Prevent the Conducting of Scientific Whaling

1. Opening Statement

(1) Attendance at the Japan-China-ROK Trilateral Summit Meeting by Mr. Hirofumi Nakasone, Minister for Foreign Affairs

Minister:
It has been decided that I will take part in the Japan-China-ROK Trilateral Summit Meeting that will take place on December 13 at the Kyushu National Museum. I understand that Dr. Yang Jiechi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, and Mr. Yu Myung-hwan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea, are also scheduled to attend this summit meeting. For the first time, Japan, China and the ROK will hold an independent summit meeting and I believe this has historical significance. As Minister for Foreign Affairs, I would like to further advance trilateral cooperation based on the outcome of this summit meeting.

(2) Emergency Grant Aid for Flood Disaster in the Republic of Yemen

Minister:
Japan has decided to extend emergency grant aid of approximately US$800,000 (about 90 million yen) in total through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to the Republic of Yemen, which suffered a serious flood disaster due to torrential rain at the end of October. This grant aid will go to the provision of mats and tents as well as to the construction of facilities such as public restrooms at schools. Prior to this decision, the Government of Japan provided emergency relief goods equivalent to about 18 million yen. These combined, the total of emergency grant assistance from Japan will be approximately US$1 million.

Related Information (Press Release)

2. The Japan-China-ROK Trilateral Summit Meeting

Question:
I understand that you will attend the Japan-China-ROK Trilateral Summit Meeting. Will a foreign ministers' meeting be held separately from the summit meeting?

Minister:
At this point, no meeting has been scheduled. I do not know how the final schedule will be. However, since I believe it is assumed that the foreign ministers will put into action what is discussed during the summit meeting, I plan to act based on the outcome of the summit meeting. I do not know if there will be time for a separate meeting, nor has there yet been any talk of holding one.

3. Entry by Chinese Marine Research Vessel into the Territorial Waters of the Senkaku Islands

Question:
Regarding the incident in which a Chinese marine investigation vessel illegally entered the territorial waters of the Senkaku Islands, this matter was referred to yesterday at the press conference given by the Vice Minister. I would like to ask whether there have been any new movements and progress on that matter since then.

Minister:
I believe that you are already aware of the facts in this case, but at around 8:10 a.m. on December 8, in the seas near the Senkaku Islands, a patrol vessel of the Japan Coast Guard that was on patrol discovered two Chinese marine investigation vessels within the territorial waters of Japan. It goes without saying that the Senkaku Islands are the sovereign territory of Japan. This is something that is beyond any doubt, both in terms of historical perspective and internationally. Therefore we used diplomatic routes to immediately register our protest on this matter to China, and strongly and repeatedly called on China to withdraw those vessels from our territorial waters. For its part, the Japan Coast Guard steadfastly remained in the area and called on those vessels to withdraw, and at 5:22 p.m. and then again at 5:35 p.m. on December 8 it was confirmed that the two marine investigation vessels had moved outside of the territorial waters of Japan. The Government of Japan will continue to use diplomatic routes, including high-level protests, to call on the Chinese government to seek an explanation as to what was the purpose for which these vessels entered the territorial waters of Japan. At the same time, we are currently calling on China to ensure that such an incident never occurs again.

Question:
Is it correct to assume that you have not yet received a response to the call made by the Government of Japan or any explanation as to what took place?

Minister:
We have not yet received any response to the request that we made.

Question:
Regarding that issue, yesterday the spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the vessels concerned were engaged in appropriate activities within the marine territory that is under the jurisdiction of China, and that there was no reason for China to be criticized. What is your view on that statement? Given that the trilateral summit amongst Japan, China and the ROK will be coming up soon, some people have pointed out that this conflict could be a new flashpoint. What are your thoughts on this matter?

Minister:
I have been informed that the spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement to that effect, but as I stated earlier, both in terms of historical perspective and international law, there is no room to doubt the fact that the Senkaku Islands are the exclusive sovereign territory of Japan. For that reason, we will continue to make use of diplomatic routes to call on the Chinese side to explain for what purposes those vessels traveled within our territory. We are calling upon the Chinese side to ensure that such an incident never occurs again.

Question:
Do you think that Japan will protest this incident during the upcoming Japan-China- ROK summit talks?

Minister:
Japan, China and the ROK have taken advantage of various opportunities to hold summit meetings. On December 13, as part of the summit talks, a bilateral Japan-China summit talk is expected to take place between Prime Minister Aso and Premier Wen Jiabao. I do believe that on the occasion of those talks, Prime Minister Aso will bring this matter up.

4. Visit to Japan by Mr. Naryshkin Sergei Evgenievich, Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of the Russian Federation

Question:
Today, Mr. Naryshkin, Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of the Russian Federation, is scheduled to have talks with you. Given that in the near future Mr. Putin, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation will be visiting Japan, what kind of topics do you expect to discuss?

Minister:
Mr. Naryshkin, Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of the Russian Federation, will be visiting Japan for two days, today and tomorrow. During his stay in Japan, he will be having talks both with Mr. Aso, Prime Minister of Japan, and with me. Mr. Naryshkin is expected to participate in the 2008 Russian Cultural Festival in Japan. In his talks with me, we are expected to discuss various bilateral issues, including the territorial issue, in advance of the visit to Japan by Mr. Putin, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation.

Related Information (Press Release)

5. North Korean Issues

Question:
Currently it seems that the Six-Party Talks are in a difficult situation. What is your own personal view on how the situation will work itself out?

Minister:
The Six-Party Talks began yesterday, and as I said in the past, I believe that the most important thing to come out of this meeting will be that a thorough framework for concrete verification will be laid out in documents. I understand that at yesterday's meeting the basic thoughts on that were expressed by each country, and I understand that today this will be followed up by the Chair, which is China, which will present its ideas on how to advance deliberations on a concrete framework for verification based on the respective positions maintained by each country. I understand that based on that, discussions will take place. I have expressed Japan's views on this point many times, and Japan's position is well understood. I have heard that North Korea expressed statements critical of Japan, but at this juncture I think that we must conduct discussions during these talks to create documentation that will bring us at least one step closer towards denuclearization and decommissioning of facilities.

6. Activities Undertaken to Prevent the Conducting of Scientific Whaling

Question:
Sea Shepherd, an American environmental protection group, has stated that it intends to take action to prevent scientific whaling activities. What is your response to this?

Minister:
In the past, this group took some very severe actions to interfere with Japan's scientific whaling, which left a number of people injured. We are extremely concerned about this. We have taken advantage of various opportunities to call for the prevention of these activities. Although Sea Shepherd is an organization registered in the United States, when I met with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia I called on him to take steps to prevent the group from taking any excessive actions. I take each opportunity that I have to make statements so that as much as possible our position can be understood, and we can thoroughly conduct our research activities.

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