(* 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, August 11, 2009, 12:05 p.m.
Place: Briefing Room, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Main topics:

Opening Statements
- (1) Relations with the New Government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania
- (2) Dispatch of Japanese Government Electoral Observation Team for the Presidential and the Provincial Council Elections in Afghanistan
Visit to Yasukuni Shrine
Legislation of the Three Non-Nuclear Principles
Japan-US Relations (Visit to Hiroshima and Nagasaki by President Barack Obama of the United States)
The North Korean Issues (the Abduction Issue)
Project for the Provision of Humanitarian Relief Goods for the Residents of the Northern Territories
Media Reports on the Dispatch of a Special Envoy of the Prime Minister of Japan to North Korea

1. Opening Statements

(1) Relations with the New Government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania

Minister:
A coup d'état occurred on August 6, 2008 in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. Through a democratization process, a new president was elected following the Presidential election held on July 18. At this morning's Cabinet Meeting, I explained that I would offer my congratulations on the election of the new president to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and notify them of the continuation of Japan's friendly relations through a note verbale.

(2) Dispatch of Japanese Government Electoral Observation Team for the Presidential and the Provincial Council Elections in Afghanistan

Minister:
The Government of Japan will dispatch an Electoral Observation Team to observe the presidential and provincial council elections in Afghanistan, which are to be held on August 20. This team will be led by Mr. Takehiro Kagawa, Deputy Director-General of the Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau, have about the order of 10 members, and consist of officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and staff of the Japanese Embassy in Kabul. To prevent Afghanistan from stepping back to being a hotbed for terrorism, Japan has been actively supporting efforts to stabilize the country by addressing such various fields as the political process, security, and reconstruction assistance. Japan is committed to providing assistance in order to encourage Afghanistan's mid- to long-term self-reliance.

Related Information (Press Release)

2. Visit to Yasukuni Shrine

Question:
This weekend (August 15th) marks the anniversary of the end of the war. Are you planning to make a visit to Yasukuni Shrine?

Minister:
I answered this question at the first press conference after I became the Minister for Foreign Affairs. I will make an appropriate decision regarding this matter.

Question:
Could you please answer this question in a way that is easier to understand?

Minister:
It means that I will make a decision based on my own views.

Question:
Does this mean you have not yet made a decision at this point?

Minister:
I have many thoughts regarding this and I will make an appropriate decision.

Question:
Can we take this to mean that there is the possibility that you will visit Yasukuni Shrine?

Minister:
I cannot tell you what I am thinking regarding this matter at the moment, but as I stated at the press conference on the occasion of taking up the post of Minister for Foreign Affairs, I plan to make an appropriate decision on my own. It goes without saying that many people who lost their precious lives in the war are enshrined in Yasukuni Shrine. I believe that it is important that on such a day, all Japanese people, including myself, decide anew that we will never go to war again and pray for the repose of the souls of the war dead.

Question:
You stated that we must never go to war again. You are a Cabinet member and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, in addition to being a member of the Diet. The Prime Minister ended up not visiting Yasukuni Shrine. In the case of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, whether the visit is made in a private or official capacity, it would have repercussions on many international relationships. What is your opinion on this?

Minister:
These are very important things to consider. My position as Minister for Foreign Affairs, as a member of the Diet, as an individual Japanese citizen, along with the fact that my uncle died in the war and is enshrined there -- these are things I must consider when making my decision.

Question:
Before you became Minister for Foreign Affairs, in what manner did you visit the shrine?

Minister:
As I stated at the press conference when I became Minister for Foreign Affairs, I was in Kudanshita as a child and I used to play in that area. It was right after the war so there were many disabled veterans there doing things such as playing the accordion. It was a very pitiful sight. Even as a child I felt the tragedy of war. I have also visited the shrine as a member of the "Organization of Diet Members Who Go to Yasukuni Shrine Together."

3. Legislation of the Three Non-Nuclear Principles

Question:
A proposal to consider legislation of the Three Non-Nuclear Principles has come up. What is your opinion on this?

Minister:
I believe this is an idea from Mr. Yukio Hatoyama, President of the Democratic Party of Japan. The successive Cabinets of Japan have repeatedly articulated the Government's commitment to the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles," which is used to describe the policy of not possessing, not producing and not permitting the introduction of nuclear weapons into Japan. I believe that this policy is already fully known inside and outside of Japan. The Government intends to remain committed to the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, and I do not think it necessary to legislate them.

4. Japan-US Relations (Visit to Hiroshima and Nagasaki by President Barack Obama of the United States)

Question:
I believe that there are plans being made for President Obama to visit Japan in November. Does the Japanese Government have any intention of making a request to the US Government that President Obama visit the bombsites of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

Minister:
President Obama has stated that he is going to visit Japan in the latter part of this year. However, the schedule is still being coordinated and no concrete dates have been set yet. Whether President Obama visits the bombsites or not is something for the US to decide. I am aware that there are many anticipating his visit, but I would like to refrain from giving any answers that may lead to assumptions at this point.

Question:
Will you communicate to the US side that there are those who are anticipating his visit?

Minister:
The US side probably already knows about this through the news.

5. The North Korean Issues (the Abduction Issue)

Question:
Former United States President Bill Clinton visited North Korea, and the Chairperson of the Hyundai Group of the Republic of Korea (ROK) is currently visiting there. Former President Clinton's visit has resulted in the return of journalists, whereas the Chairperson's visit is intended to gain the release of an employee of the Hyundai Group. We can see from these developments North Korea's desire to engage in dialogue with the United States and the ROK. Do you see any changes in North Korea's attitude toward Japan? Do you think North Korea will be seeking to engage in dialogue with Japan?

Minister:
I am sure that you are also aware that North Korea has expressed its views in light of the situation in which the United Nations has issued a Statement by the President of the Security Council and a series of Security Council Resolutions in response to North Korea's nuclear test and launches of ballistic missiles. For our part, we will work to establish as soon as possible an investigative committee with requisite authority, which will launch a comprehensive investigation on the abduction issue so as to bring all the victims back home to Japan. This is in line with the agreement reached through last summer's working-level consultations between Japan and North Korea. We will work to resolve this issue, aiming to gain a prompt outcome through contact with North Korea.

Question:
On a related matter, both the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) are apparently not so eager to take up the abduction issue in their election campaigns, which have practically started now. The members of the Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea (AFVKN) must be extremely disappointed about this. Do you have any comments to make on this matter?

Minister:
Without any doubt, the early resolution of this issue is a trans-partisan wish. Everyone realizes the necessity for this issue to be resolved promptly, even if the manifestos for the election campaigns do not state so in concrete terms. We are fully aware that the government is expected to work toward the resolution of this issue, especially considering the visit by former President Clinton to North Korea which resulted in the safe return of two journalists. That former President Clinton succeeded, however, does not necessarily mean that we might also succeed promptly. I believe that you understand as well that things are not so simple. There is a different historical context between the issue leading to former President Clinton's visit to North Korea and the abduction issue. As I stated earlier, our policy is to tenaciously request that North Korea abide by the commitment it made last year in the working-level consultations between Japan and North Korea, and quickly resume the investigation. It is also our policy to seek to resolve the abduction issue, together with the nuclear and the missile issues, within the framework of the Six-Party Talks. As such, we will strive to resolve the issue while seeking the cooperation of the other countries.

Question:
You made a request to the United States to take the abduction issue up during former President Clinton's visit to North Korea. The Chief Cabinet Secretary stated in his press conference last week that General Secretary Kim Jong Il did not make a clear response. Has Japan been informed since then by the United States of the conversations which took place between the former President and the General Secretary?

Minister:
The Japanese government did make a request for former President Clinton to take up the abduction issue and we have been informed that the former President sent a strong message. I will refrain from making further comments on this matter.

6. Project for the Provision of Humanitarian Relief Goods for the Residents of the Northern Territories

Question:
Concerning the issue of the Northern Territories, Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that they will stop receiving humanitarian assistance materials, to which Chief Cabinet Secretary Kawamura responded that Japan has no intention of forcing such assistance upon them. This seems to imply that the provision of humanitarian assistance materials will end, but has there been any consideration of alternative kinds of assistance? Could you tell us what types of humanitarian assistance are being considered for the Northern Territories going forward, as well as what approach and type of assistance you consider to be the most appropriate?

Minister:
I believe that you are already aware that Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs notified the Embassy of Japan in Russia on August 7 that they appreciated the provision of humanitarian assistance materials for the Four Northern Islands but will no longer need them due to the normalization and stabilization of the socioeconomic situation in the islands. At the same time, they also explained that they wish to have emergency humanitarian assistance continued. In response to this notification from Russia, the Government of Japan will consider what type of assistance should be pursued for the residents of the Four Northern Islands. I think there is an intention on both sides to continue such assistance programs as emergency humanitarian assistance as well as the acceptance of patients from the Northern Islands, which Japan has continued to carry out until now. The way assistance will be carried out, as were just mentioned, will be the subject of future consideration.

7. Media Reports on the Dispatch of a Special Envoy of the Prime Minister of Japan to North Korea

Question:
Regarding the issue of North Korea, the Yomiuri Shimbun yesterday reported that there was a plan to dispatch a special representative of the Prime Minister to North Korea beginning this year in order to improve Japan-North Korea relations. Is there any truth in this report?

Minister:
There is no truth to this report.

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