(* 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 25, 2009, 9:52 a.m.
Place: Briefing room, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Main topics:

Situation in Myanmar (Visit to Japan by the H.E. Mr. Htay Oo, Minister for Agriculture and Irrigation of the Union of Myanmar)
Development of Nasiriyah Oil Field in Iraq
Activities of a Chinese Vessel in the Shirakaba Gas Field in the East China Sea
The North Korean Issues

1. Situation in Myanmar (Visit to Japan by the H.E. Mr. Htay Oo, Minister for Agriculture and Irrigation of the Union of Myanmar)

Question:
The Secretary-General and de facto leader of the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) -- which is said to be a Myanmar's junta military organization -- Mr. Htay Oo, Minister for Agriculture and Irrigation of the Union of Myanmar, is in Japan until tomorrow at the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Do you have any plans to meet Minister Htay Oo? If you do -- you may have already met with him -- do you plan to talk about the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi? Some are voicing criticism regarding the invitation of the head of the organization that allegedly assailed Daw Aung San Suu Kyi at this time right after her conviction. Please tell us your opinion regarding this.

Minister:
Minister Htay Oo is responsible for agriculture. We invited him to Japan for the purpose of conducting dialogue in the area of agriculture, to have him inspect the agricultural situation in Japan, and to further advance bilateral interaction in the area of agriculture. Regarding the timing of the visit, we have been coordinating this from before the conviction, resulting in the realization of the visit at this time, but there is no special intention behind this. As for the Minister's position in the USDA which you just mentioned, it has nothing to do with the reason for inviting him to Japan this time. The purpose of the invitation is to hold dialogue relating to agriculture.

As for the issue of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, this is related to the democratization of Myanmar. I have conveyed our position regarding this to the Myanmar's Foreign Minister as needed, and I also issued a Foreign Minister's statement on August 11, making Japan's position and my thoughts on this clear. Additionally, I plan to convey our basic position during our talks this time as well.

Question:
Are you meeting him today?

Minister:
Yes, today. I believe it will be after this, at 10:30.

Related Information (Press Release)

2. Development of Nasiriyah Oil Field in Iraq

Question:
A Japanese consortium reached an agreement with Iraq on the development of the Nasiriyah oil field. Please give us your frank opinion on this, as well as what the Japanese Government intends to do in the future to secure energy resources.

Minister:
I am not aware of the details of this situation as I have been on the campaign trail, so I would like to refrain from making any comments regarding that issue. Concerning energy, Japan does not have enough energy resources in its territory, so I believe that as a principle, we must move actively to secure energy from various countries. This is also an important issue from the point of security. Depending on the country, the situation differs. Although there may be differences in each country's state of affairs or its position within the international community, energy is something that is vital to the existence of Japan, so I believe we must make active efforts to secure it.

3. Activities of a Chinese Vessel in the Shirakaba Gas Field in the East China Sea

Question:
This came up in yesterday's press conference too; a Chinese vessel has arrived (at the Shirakaba Gas Field) in the East China Sea. Please tell us your thoughts on this as well as the message conveyed to China, and the Chinese side's response to it.

Minister:
I talked about this in the last press conference. From the Japanese side, we have repeatedly requested confirmation from the Chinese side. The Chinese side responded that they were conducting work for maintenance and management and there is no real change in the current situation at Chunxiao, as it is called in Chinese. We have conveyed our serious concerns on this matter and urged China strongly not to take any action that would undermine our trust.

4. The North Korean Issues

Question:
Since the last press conference, a certain period of time has passed and there has been a lot of development related to talks between the US and North Korea and between the Republic of Korea (ROK) and North Korea. Will this affect Japan's policy toward North Korean in any way? Additionally, while both the US and ROK, in principle, uphold the position that sanctions are necessary, it seems that they are creating new channels for communication with North Korea. Do you believe that Japan needs some sort of communications channels as well?

Minister:
Former President Bill Clinton visited North Korea recently, and a delegation of senior North Korean officials headed by the Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, Mr. Kim Ki Nam, met with President Lee Myung Bak on the occasion of former President Kim Dae Jung's funeral. Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Wu Dawei, also visited North Korea to hold talks. The Japanese Government believes that for the peace and stability of the region, it is important to resolve various issues, starting with the nuclear issue, peacefully and comprehensively through the Six-Party Talks and through close communication and dialogue between the countries concerned, such as the ROK-North Korea talks this time. This is Japan's basic position. We will continue to take action in close cooperation with countries concerned such as the US and the ROK. Regarding whether Japan's policy toward North Korea will be affected or not, I do not believe there will be a large effect in particular. Japan has repeatedly requested the reinvestigation of the abduction issue as soon as possible according to the agreement made in August 2008 at the Japan-North Korea Working-level Consultations, and we will continue to do so. I believe that the strong resolution adopted by the international community at the UN Security Council may be behind North Korea's sudden moves at this time. The ROK's policies toward North Korea also remain consistent, and I have heard that President Lee Myung Bak explained the ROK's consistent policies to North Korea. I do not believe there will be any large effect in particular on Japan.

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