(* 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 Seiji Maehara

Date: Friday, November 19, 2010, 6:29 p.m.
Place: MOFA Press Conference Room

Main topics:

Opening Remarks
- (1) Japan's Cooperation toward the Presidential and Other Elections in the Republic of Haiti
- (2) Visit to Australia
Meeting on Afghanistan on the Occasion of the NATO Summit
North Korean
Japan-Russia Relations
Situations at the Diet (Omitted)
Disclosure of Diplomatic Records
Chief Cabinet Secretary Sengoku’s wording on Self-Defense Forces
Leak of a Video showing a collision between Japanese coast guard vessels and a Chinese trawler
Abductions of Japanese Citizens by North Korea

1. Opening Remarks

(1) Japan's Cooperation toward the Presidential and Other Elections in the Republic of Haiti

Minister Maehara: My first announcement is about our cooperation for the presidential and other elections in the Republic of Haiti. The Government of Japan decided to contribute approximately 1.5 million dollars to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), for the purchase of voter ballots, proceeding sheets and others., with a view to assisting the smooth implementation of presidential and legislative election in the Republic of Haiti on November 28 (Sunday). The Government of Japan also decided to dispatch an election observation mission comprising five officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The fair and smooth implementation of the forthcoming presidential election is a focus of the international community as the country's reconstruction after the earthquake of January 2010 will be shouldered by the elected government. Japan decided to support the election in coordination with the international community.

(2) Visit to Australia

Minister: Another announcement concerns my visit to Australia. Upon receiving approval from the Diet, I plan to visit Australia on November 23 to meet Foreign Minister Rudd and Trade Minister Emerson and pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Gillard. During my upcoming visit to Australia, I would like to exchange views with the Ministers on security cooperation and regional and global issues and further develop the strategic partnership between the two countries. In addition, I plan to exchange views with the Ministers on TPP and hold talks with the Australian side toward an early conclusion of negotiations on the Japan-Australian EPA.

2. Meeting on Afghanistan on the Occasion of the NATO Summit

Mukai, Yomiuri Shimbun: I would like to ask a question concerning a meeting on Afghanistan at the NATO summit meetings to be held this weekend on the 20th in Portugal.
Japan received a special invitation, and Sate Secretary for Foreign Affairs Banno is scheduled to attend the meeting. Please tells us how you think future aid to Afghanistan ought to be and the Government of Japan plans to appeal to the international community on this occasion?

Minister: The previous administration had conducted maritime refueling activities as a form of Japanese contribution to the OEF (Operation Enduring Freedom). However, when the Democratic Party of Japan took over, the GOJ withdrew from such activities. Nevertheless, we have provided specific contribution within a new framework by contributing substantial amounts of money for reconstruction assistance to Afghanistan, for supporting the livelihood of the people, and for other purposes. In addition, civilian volunteers have been making efforts to launch projects for the PRT (Provincial Reconstruction Team). In this way, considerable success has reportedly been achieved.
We have dispatched a political-level official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Afghanistan in order to let other countries fully recognize that each country is participating in reconstruction assistance to Afghanistan in a way that fits the conditions of that country and to encourage various countries to understand what Japan has been doing and what Japan plans to do in the future, as well as informing them of Japan’s contribution.

3. North Korean

Nishioka, Mainichi Newspapers: I would like to ask a question concerning the North Korean situation. There have been reports of increased activity recently in North Hamgyong province in North Korea toward a nuclear test. Meanwhile, there have also been reports that there are signs indicating construction of a light-water nuclear reactor around the Yongbyon nuclear facility, where North Korea has continued to engage in nuclear development so far. Please tell us about any information that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has on these two points.

Minister: We have information on these two matters including information from satellites and HUMINT. However, I would like to refrain from giving the details because doing so would reveal our information-gathering capability or the certainty at which such activities are conducted. We are closely watching these two matters with grave concerns.

4. Japan-Russia Relations

Inatsuka, Hokkaido Shimbun: There were reports from some media outlets that at the Japan-Russia Foreign Ministers’ meeting earlier, Foreign Minister Lavrov expressed an extremely negative view on the Japanese-Soviet Joint Declaration (of 1956), saying that he did not understand why the former Soviet Union agreed to it. I would like to confirm the facts of this matter.

Minister: Although I would like to refrain from speaking in detail about the earlier Japan-Russia Foreign Ministers’ meeting, it is a fact that both sides expressed their views to each other. However, we have agreed to hold earnest discussions toward resolving territorial issues. Therefore, in short the Northern Territories are the inherent territory of Japan, and I intend to continue to negotiate territorial issues with perseverance, making it clear to whom the islands belong and conclude a peace treaty.

5. Situations at the Diet (Omitted)

Omitted

6. Disclosure of Diplomatic Records

Tsuruoka, Asahi Shimbun: I would like to ask a question concerning the disclosure of diplomatic records. Regarding the criteria for disclosure, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs already has regulations. Do you, as Foreign Minister, have any guidelines for determining whether or not to disclose? What are your thoughts on the pace of disclosures in the future?

Minister: This time, we are disclosing 582 files of diplomatic records that are more than 30 years old. They will be made available to the public at the Diplomatic Record Office. Among them are 63 volumes related to negotiations on the reversion of Okinawa and 64 volumes related to the US-Japan Joint Committee on Trade and Economic Problems. The 582 volumes of files that include these will be transferred to the Diplomatic Record Office and made available for public viewing. You may take it that these are the files that are ready for disclosure among the 865 volumes that I authorized after conducting a study at the second meeting of the Diplomatic Records Declassification Promotion Committee – which is chaired by Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Yamahana – held on October 8. If you are asking about my basic stance on this matter, we intend to basically disclose those for which a certain length of time has elapsed. Depending on their contents, there may be some that may be kept undisclosed or those that may be disclosed with sections that are blotted out. I believe that decisions should be made based on the nature of the documents. Basically, my position is that documents should be disclosed after a certain length of time has passed.

7. Chief Cabinet Secretary Sengoku’s wording on Self-Defense Forces

Sakai, Sankei Shimbun: The other day, Chief Cabinet Secretary Sengoku said in a deliberation at the Diet that the Self-Defense Forces is an “instrument of violence.” Secretary Sengoku immediately retracted this statement. Please tell us what you think of this, and whether you view the Self-Defense Forces as an instrument of violence.

Minister: I am proud of today’s Self-Defense Force officials. They have the very noble role of protecting our country in the event of an emergency; of risking their lives and limbs to protect our national sovereignty; and of protecting the lives, property, and ways of life of all the Japanese people. Additionally, more than 50 years have passed since the National Police Reserve was reorganized into the Self-Defense Forces. I am proud of the members of the Self-Defense Forces, and I admire them for continuously enhancing their morale by training even in times of no war, and for their daily trainings to maintain their fighting strength. And when there is some sort of disaster, a request goes out to the Self-Defense Forces. I am grateful to our Self-Defense Force officials for their efforts of disaster relief and recovery, and in the recent outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Miyazaki, for example their efforts using heavy equipment to destroy livestock. Speaking of my constituency, there was an outbreak of bird flu quite some time ago, and when over 250,000 poultry were destroyed, the task was far too large for the Prefecture of Kyoto and the neighboring local governments, and that they could not destroy the birds themselves. Although I do not know if Mr. Ishiba was the Director General of the Defense Agency or the Minister of Defense at the time, at our request the Self-Defense Forces was dispatched, and they were of a great help. In that sense, I do not think that there is more reassuring organization in the sense of their original mission of defending Japan, and providing assistance in emergencies. Chief Cabinet Secretary Sengoku told me that he had meant to say “enforcement organization.” He said that he often used to read communist-party literature, and those books often used terms like “instrument of violence,” and I think that this caused him to mistakenly use that term instead. I think that Chief Cabinet Secretary Sengoku also respects the Self-Defense Forces, and fully understands the nobility and importance of their mission, as I just spoke about. I do not remember if it was your newspaper, but there was an article saying that the Secretary’s true feelings came out. It is my understanding that these were not his true feelings, but rather a slip-up.

8. Leak of a Video showing a collision between Japanese coast guard vessels and a Chinese trawler

Kamide, Freelance: This issue has already been raised in the Diet, but I would like to ask you again.
With regard to the issue of the leaked Senkaku video, you have been the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and are now the Minister of Foreign Affairs. From the perspective of someone who has done both jobs, although it has been said with regard to the series of circumstances that the wrong button was pressed from the beginning, what is your overall view of this? Please give us a clear answer.

Minister: I do not at all think that the wrong button was pressed. This incident occurred on September 7th, when I was Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. I consulted on this incident with the Commandant of the Coast Guard, and was informed that it was an extremely malicious incident. I saw the video the next morning, on September 8th. I received a report that it was a malicious incident before I had seen the video. I was told that the ship could have sunk, and that the incident put the lives of Japan Coast Guard personnel in danger. I heard this report with the understanding that given such an incident, it would be a matter of course for it to be handled according to the internal regulations of the Japan Coast Guard. However, this is an issue of the inherent territory of Japan. There are no sovereignty issues in the East China Sea, but because there are also issues of other countries claiming sovereignty, I discussed thoroughly with the Prime Minister on how the issue should be handled. I believed that it was a case of arrest for obstruction of the execution of official duties with consideration of malicious intent. The decision was made after consultation with then Minister of Foreign Affairs Okada, as well as with other ministries and agencies, and ultimately referring to diplomatic considerations. We subsequently arrived at the current situation following a criminal investigation by Japan, and judicial decision.
With regard to the publication of the video, although there were a variety of views, including those of you here, I would like you all to think about this calmly and rationally. In a general criminal case, when a person is arrested on suspicion of obstruction of the execution of official duties, if there was video of the incident, then it would be a matter of course for the video to be handled as evidence during the trial. It is a matter of course for such evidence to be handed over to the prosecutors, and not published. Although now everyone is arguing and asking why we did not make the video public at that time, considering the steps and procedures at that time, I think that it was a matter of course for the video not to be made public at that time. I believe that in the future, the government, and especially the Ministry of Justice, should make decisions in accordance with Article 47 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

Kamide, Freelance: With regard to the obligation to maintain confidentiality, I remember you spoke of strict punishment. What is your view of the fact that the Coast Guard official who leaked the video has not actually been arrested?

Minister: I believe that a criminal investigation is taking place, and it has not been concluded yet. I believe that even when a particular individual may not be prosecuted criminally, an incident of a person working in the government who leaked should be handled internally and punished in some way.

9. Abductions of Japanese Citizens by North Korea

Hashimoto, Kyodo News: A committee of the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution calling on North Korea for an early resolution of the abduction issue. This resolution is apparently the sixth of its kind, and the number of votes in favor of the resolution was the largest ever. Please tell us about your thoughts on this matter.

Minister: While I have only been serving in this post for slightly over two months, I have always made relevant comments during meetings with the foreign ministers of countries that have abstained or cast votes against the resolution. I have also gone through various diplomatic channels to try to have as many people in those countries recognize this crime of abduction and asked them to vote in favor of the resolution. We believe that this resolution is the result of efforts made by the families of abduction victims in taking the lead in awareness campaigns and publicity activities. Our mission is to bring back the abduction victims to Japan as soon as possible. I believe that it is our mission to make efforts to resolve this issue.

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