(* 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: Friday, December 26, 2008, 11:05 a.m.
Place: Press Conference Room in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Main topics:

Opening Statement
- Emergency Grant Aid to Tackle the Cholera Outbreak in the Republic of Zimbabwe
Measures against Piracy Cases off the Coast of Somalia
Reflections on the Past Year and Future Prospects
Plans for Overseas Visits

1. Opening Statement

Emergency Grant Aid to Tackle the Cholera Outbreak in the Republic of Zimbabwe

Minister:
Currently, Zimbabwe is facing a cholera outbreak on a scale never seen before, and many people are dying. Today, the Government of Japan decided to provide emergency grant aid of 1.5 million US dollars (approximately 169.5 million yen) to the Republic of Zimbabwe through the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) as humanitarian assistance to be used to tackle the cholera outbreak. This emergency grant aid will be extended, as I have just mentioned, from a humanitarian viewpoint. As you know, the political and economic situation in Zimbabwe is extremely unstable and the Government of Japan has expressed its concern about this. However, we are providing this assistance because of the great number of deaths. I strongly hope for the stabilization of Zimbabwe's situation and the promotion of democratization, as well as for an immediate improvement of the humanitarian situation.

Related Information (Press Release)

2. Measures against Piracy Cases off the Coast of Somalia

Question:
Did the Prime Minister make any statements regarding measures against piracy during the Cabinet Meeting?

Minister:
The measures in question are covered by various newspapers today. As Prime Minister Aso stated at the press conference last night, the government has continuously stated that measures against piracy in the area off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden are an international concern, as can be seen from the fact that various countries are deploying naval vessels to the area. We recognize that this issue is an urgent matter from the viewpoint of protecting lives and assets, given the necessity to ensure the safety of maritime navigation and ship crews including Japanese nationals. From this viewpoint, we have been earnestly deliberating the development of new legislation for measures against piracy, as well as what measures we can take under the provisions of the current law. I believe that we must start by taking what action we can as swiftly as possible. As Prime Minister Aso stated, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will give its full cooperation regarding deliberations on this issue.

Question:
Were any instructions given at the Cabinet Meeting?

Minister:
As I just stated, I believe that Prime Minister Aso talked to you all on this matter, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will act accordingly to this effect.

Question:
In actuality, what is the time frame for the deployment?

Minister:
The need remains for swift deliberation on this. However, at the comprehensive maritime policy headquarters, we are currently considering legislation to have acts of piracy towards vessels, regardless of the vessels' country of origin, deemed crimes under Japanese law based on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and other laws. At the moment, the schedule for submitting the bill and other details are not known and all I can say is that it is under consideration.

Question:
Regarding the deployment of vessels, you stated that the government should start by taking what action it can and that it is a matter of urgency. When do you think such action can be taken, in your opinion, and do you think that this will be too late?

Minister:
Taking swift action depends on the progress of the deliberations. At the moment, all I can say is that we will work to come to a swift conclusion to the deliberations and that we are working aggressively to take action. However, if we must develop new legislation, I believe we need the deliberations to have comprehensive results.

Question:
What measures can be taken under the current law?

Minister:
Currently we are going back to the basics on all points for deliberation, and we must make detailed considerations on issues such as developing new legislation, as well as on what we can do under the current law, what measures are desirable, and what the current circumstances are. Swift action is important, but as you all know, we do not know what kind of situations will occur. So we need to make comprehensive deliberations on the development of legislation as well as on the current law.

Question:
Regarding this matter, Prime Minister Aso stated that he would like to deploy vessels around November or December. However, at the Foreign Minister's press conference you have continued to state that the schedule is under deliberation. Given that the Prime Minister made a concrete statement yesterday, as one of the ministers relevant to this issue, do you have any target period for the deployment?

Minister:
Deliberations have been ongoing and we plan to accelerate them. More than that, I ask for your understanding that this is something that people are working on, and we are working to conclude the deliberations as soon as possible. As to an exact date such as January something or February, I cannot make any comment.

Question:
If all the various issues are resolved, is there a chance that the deployment will take place next month?

Minister:
I do not know how things will turn out. Depending on the situation, preparations such as for the number of people and the type of vessel we send will naturally take a while. The scheduling for deployment will be decided with substantial discussions centering on the Ministry of Defense as well as the comprehensive maritime policy headquarters. Since measures against piracy are a different type of assistance from the replenishment support we have been providing, I believe that it is important to act cautiously. So this may take time. I believe, however, that measures against piracy need to be implemented as soon as possible.

Question:
If it comes to acting under the current legislation, I think that ordering a maritime security operation will be a possibility. In the past, this has only been issued as an emergency measure in cases concerning matters of national security, such as the appearance of suspicious vessels or invasions of territorial waters. However, Somalia is extremely far from Japan and I think that when the provision for maritime security operations was established, issues such as measures against piracy were probably not envisioned. There may be an argument over whether an order for maritime security operations in this type of situation is appropriate. In your opinion, do you think that it will be a problem to implement measures against piracy under the current law?

Minister:
Even under the current law, I believe this would be applied to Japanese people and Japanese vessels. We must consider all sorts of situations, including what to do if a foreign vessel is taken over by pirates and whether an order for a maritime security operation can really be issued. If there is no legal issue, I do not see any problem.

Question:
What is your personal opinion?

Minister:
I am for this if all legal issues are cleared. However, from a long-term perspective, Japan has never had laws for measures against piracy and this is something that needs to be considered.

3. Reflections on the Past Year and Future Prospects

Question:
Three months have passed since you were appointed to the post of Minister for Foreign Affairs. Looking back, what do you think of the achievements of this past year? Additionally, the Obama Administration will commence next year. Please let us know your opinions regarding issues in Japan's diplomatic policies.

Minister:
On September 24, the Aso Cabinet was inaugurated and directly after that I accompanied the Prime Minister to the UN General Assembly. I believe that Prime Minister Aso vigorously exercised leadership in diplomatic arenas such as ASEM, the Summit on Financial Markets and the World Economy, APEC, and the Japan-China-ROK Trilateral Summit Meeting. I also believe that he has fulfilled Japan's role in the international community to a certain extent. Especially regarding the financial crisis, the Prime Minister has demonstrated his leadership. That the decision was made within this year to extend the implementation of the Replenishment Support Special Measures Law, enabling the continuation of the replenishment support activities, is a great achievement. Additionally, the signing of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which I attended, was historically significant for Japan, in terms of Japan becoming party to it. Next year the Obama Administration will commence. It will be necessary to make adjustments to policies with the US and of course it will be important to keep an eye on what kind of policies the new administration will take. Next year there is the COP15 meeting on climate change issues. It is also necessary to resolutely follow up on the financial crisis, the G20, APEC, and the Japan-China-ROK Trilateral Summit Meeting, and to rebuild the domestic economy and firmly progress with programs to provide assistance to developing countries. Additionally, next year Japan will be a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. Japan needs to fulfill its role as a non-permanent member, and within that role, work steadily toward the goal of reforming the UN, with an eye toward becoming a permanent member of the Security Council in the future. Regarding North Korean issues, unfortunately we were unable to reach an agreement during the Six-Party Talks held in the first half of December. However, North Korea's nuclear disablement is essential to Japan's national security. I do not know when the next Six-Party Talks will be held, but it is necessary to prepare for them and coordinate with the other five parties prior to the talks in order to make the talks successful and steadily move forward with the denuclearization. Regarding the abduction issue, we have made repeated requests to North Korea for a reinvestigation: however, this has not yet happened. We have stated that we will act on the principle of "action for action." Next year, I hope to make further advances in Japan-North Korea relations.

4. Plans for Overseas Visits

Question:
Do you have plans to make any visits overseas next year?

Minister:
Since the Diet session will begin from January 5, I do not know whether I will be able to make any overseas visits. Since the schedule must be coordinated with other countries as well as with the Diet session, I may go on the weekends. At the moment, however, I can only say that it is under consideration. As the Minister for Foreign Affairs, if permission is given by the Diet, I would like to go on trips in order to strengthen diplomatic ties with various countries. However, at the moment I do not know what the Diet schedule will allow for.

Back to Index