(* 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: Friday, August 15, 2008, 10:55 a.m.
Place: Briefing Room, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Main topics:
- Visit to the People's Republic of China by Foreign Minister Koumura
- Anniversary of the End of World War II
1. Visit to the People's Republic of China by Foreign Minister Koumura
Minister:
I will visit China from Saturday, August 16 through Monday, August 18. On August 17, I will attend a reception hosted by the Japanese Olympic Committee Chairman and others, and I will meet with State Councilor Dai Bingguo and Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi. I intend to discuss issues related to Japan-China relations, North Korean issues, and so on.
Question:
During his recent visit to China, Prime Minister Fukuda discussed the issue of poisoned dumplings with President Hu Jintao. What do you plan to say on this issue?
Minister:
I will say that we would like to strengthen cooperation related to the investigation.
Question:
Are there plans for investigation data to be presented by the Chinese side?
Minister:
I do not know. But perhaps investigation data will be presented in the course of cooperation related to the investigation. If such data is presented during the meetings with me, that would be best, but it is not the case that I am expecting that at the meetings.
Question:
On the issue of dumplings, China requested that the fact that a case of poisoning also occurred in China not be publicized. Now that this information has been leaked, what effect do you think this will have on the cooperative and trusting relationship with China?
Minister:
I took the fact that China reported this as an indication of its intention not to hush up the issue. I thought that the fact that it ventured to convey information that might not necessarily match up with what its public security authority has been saying up to now is an indication of its intention not to hush up the issue. More than that, I believe the investigation proceeding without a hindrance and the truth being clarified is a good thing for the people of Japan. This is why Japan accepted China's request not to publicize the information. I went into great detail about this in the group interviews, so I have already said this, but as a politician I have constantly dealt with information, and the broad principle regarding intelligence is to abide by the will of the person who is providing the intelligence in regard to whether it should or should not be publicized. There are exceptions of course, but in this case, it is a situation in which the poisoned dumplings of Tianyang Food are not coming into Japan, so no particular hazard is directly posed to the people of Japan. The most important thing is that the investigation is conducted properly in order to clarify the truth. Thus, China's request not to publicize the information just because it would hinder the investigation was thought to have a certain degree of rationality, and therefore the information was not publicized.
Question:
Is there any effect on the investigation?
Minister:
I do not know yet. The request to not publicize the information was based on a high-level decision. In other words, some at lower level might have been arguing that the information should not have been given to the Japanese side. With the provision of information decided at a high level, if the Japanese side publicizes the information, it may become difficult for the investigation to move forward. I am not making an affirmative statement here. Generally speaking, Japan's level of information disclosure and China's level of information disclosure are different. Thus, the fact that the Chinese side ventured to give the information to the Government of Japan at a high level was assessed as casting away the slight concern that the issue would be hushed up at the state level, and it was thought that the progress of the investigation should not be interrupted. Clarification of the truth is the most important thing in terms of the safety of the food of the people of Japan. That was my judgment as well. In the scope of people who received and shared this information, there was no one who objected to this.
Related Information (Press Release)
2. Anniversary of the End of World War II
Question:
Today is the anniversary of the end of World War II. Have you visited Yasukuni Shrine up to now? Do you have plans to visit Yasukuni Shrine in the future?
Minister:
I do not have any plan to visit Yasukuni Shrine during my tenure as Minister for Foreign Affairs. I have visited before.
Related Information (Historical Issues)
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