(* 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 Koichiro Gemba

Date: Tuesday, November 22, 2011, 9:26 a.m.
Place: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Main topics:

Opening Remarks
- (1) Minister Gemba's Visit to China
- (2) Adoption by U.N. General Assembly Third Committee of Resolution on Human Rights Situation in Democratic People's Republic of Korea
- (3) Opening of Policy Discussions on Economic Cooperation with Myanmar
Revision of the Status of Forces Agreement
Situation in Myanmar
Issue of Realignment of U.S. Forces in Japan
ASEAN + 3

1. Opening Remarks

(1) Minister Gemba's Visit to China

Minister Gemba: I would like to start off by touching on three issues. The first is my official visit to China. I am planning to leave Japan in the early morning of Wednesday, November 23, to hold talks including a Japan-China Foreign Ministerial Meeting with Mr. Yang Jiechi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, in Beijing, China, and will return to Japan before dawn on November 24, subject to approval by the Diet.
Since the formation of the Noda Government, Japan and China have been continuously engaging in high-level dialogue including my meeting with my Chinese counterpart on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and the APEC Summit. Furthermore, we are making arrangements for a visit to China by Prime Minister Noda' by the end of this year.
The main purpose of my trip is to finalize planning and preparations for the Prime Minister's visit to China. I will hold discussions to move forward substantive initiatives across a range of issues related to bilateral relations between Japan and China, such as lessons on cooperation learned from the earthquake disaster, cooperation in maritime affairs, cultural and person-to-person exchanges, and cooperation in various regional and international issues. Furthermore, we are taking advantage of this opportunity to try to arrange for meetings with various Chinese government officials. Also, on the afternoon of the 23rd, I am planning to attend the opening ceremony of the Japan Anime Festival, which is an exchange initiative in the field of visual media that will be held in Beijing and Shanghai starting on November 23.

(2) Adoption by U.N. General Assembly Third Committee of Resolution on Human Rights Situation in Democratic People's Republic of Korea

Minister: Next, I would like to discuss the human rights situation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). A resolution on the human rights situation in the DPRK that had been co-tabled by Japan and the European Union (EU), was adopted on Tuesday, November 22 (Monday, November 21, local time) by a majority vote for the seventh consecutive year at the Third Committee of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, which is currently meeting in New York.
We think that the large number of votes in favor of this resolution clearly signals the serious concern of the international community over various violations of human rights in the DPRK, including the urgent need for a settlement of the abduction issue.
Japan will continue to urge the DPRK to take concrete action. This time, the number of votes in favor of the resolution was 117, which was a record high. I think that the various diplomatic efforts that we have made in the past paid off this time. For example, the Philippines and Colombia supported the resolution after I met with their respective foreign ministers and asked them to vote in favor rather than abstaining. And Malaysia, which used to cast dissenting votes in the past, abstained this time as a result of Japan's lobbying. I think that such diplomatic efforts resulted in the unprecedented number of votes in favor of the resolution.

(3) Opening of Policy Discussions on Economic Cooperation with Myanmar

Minister: We have decided to hold a policy conference on Japan-Myanmar economic cooperation in Naypyidaw, the capital of Myanmar, on Monday, November 28.
These arrangements have been made in response to requests by Japan to hold such a meeting at an early date. I conveyed such a request to Mr. Wunna Maung Lwin, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, at the time of the Japan-Myanmar Foreign Ministerial Meeting held in Tokyo on Sunday, October 21. Prime Minister Noda did the same when he met with President Thein Sein at the time of the Japan-Myanmar Summit Meeting in Bali on November 18. Deputy directors-general and director-level officials of ministries concerned headed by Deputy Director-General Ishikane of the Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs Bureau will attend the policy conference.
We will discuss the development policies of the new government formed in Myanmar in March of this year as a result of the transition to civilian rule, along with the proposals for projects that Japan can implement under our guidelines for economic cooperation with Myanmar.

2. Revision of the Status of Forces Agreement

Noguchi, Nippon Television: I would like to ask a question about the revision of the Status of Forces Agreement. Some media reported that Japan and the United States would reach an agreement in the near future to transfer the right to primary jurisdiction over U.S. military service members and civilian employees of the U.S. military who drive under the influence of alcohol after drinking at an official event. I would like to confirm these reports, and if they are in fact true, ask you about the problems with implementing the current arrangements for primary jurisdiction that led up to this development.

Minister: The bottom line, as I have said time and again, is that it is unreasonable for those who drive under the influence of alcohol after drinking at an official event to have their actions construed as part of their official duty. We are approaching this issue with a sense of resolve and urgency, though we are not yet at a stage where anything has been decided. You also raised the issue of the right to jurisdiction over civilian employees of the U.S. military. Although I am not in a position to comment on specific cases, speaking in general terms, I can say that I have urged MOFA officials to hold thorough deliberations with the United States on the right to jurisdiction over civilian employees of the U.S. military, but again the matter is still under discussion.

Shimada, NHK: What is your understanding of the issue of jurisdiction over civilian employees of the U.S. military?

Minister: Concerning the issue I just now mentioned of drunken driving after official events, generally speaking it has been understood that the United States has the right to jurisdiction over civilian employees of the U.S. military personnel when their actions took place in the course of their official duties. However, I have serious questions whether that interpretation is correct and applies to all cases.

3. Situation in Myanmar

Kamide, Freelance: I have been reporting in Myanmar since Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi won the election in 1990,although I have had few opportunities as of late. We have heard a lot about recently about progress in Myanmar. But there is a of concern in the expatriate community here in Japan that, as we have seen in the past, such progress is two steps forward and one step back, with the military retaining an extremely strong grip on power.
The country seems to be moving in the right direction, but I wonder how these developments are different from what we have seen in the past. Previous efforts at so-called constructive engagement with Myanmar are considered by some to have backfired, so I would like to ask what the difference is between the previous and current situations? Where exactly is progress being made? Is the current situation really all right? Please give us your views.

Minister: The fact that political prisoners have been released is one sign of progress. Meanwhile, there are media reports that the party to which Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi belongs will be recognized and permitted to contest future elections under what I believe is called the Political Parties Registration Law, if my memory is correct. In the final analysis, I think that political reforms and democratization are making steady progress in Myanmar. So I think it is important to support the process democratization in a timely manner by providing development aid and other assistance to the economy of Myanmar. Indeed, I believe that the timing is right now.

Kamide, Freelance: You mean the situation will not regress, right?

Minister: It is important that the present direction not be changed. That is, we should be involved in order to make the situation irreversible.

4. Issue of Realignment of U.S. Forces in Japan

Shimada, NHK: It seems that deficit reduction talks by the U.S. Congress have broken down. I think the failture to reach an agreement could lead to cuts in the number of government workers. What do you think of the impact on Okinawa, the transfer of U.S. forces from Okinawa to Guam, and the Futenma issue?

Minister: I happened to hear the news that regrettably the U.S. Congress did not reach an agreement on the budget. However, one consideration to keep in mind is that it is not impossible that Congress will still find a way to reach a compromise. With regard to the impact in case no agreement is reached, I would point to President Obama's recent speech in Australia, in which he committed to an enhanced U.S. presence in the Asia-Pacific region. In that sense, I do not expect at present that the budget issue will have a direct impact on the security environment of the Asia-Pacific region.

5. ASEAN + 3

Yoshioka, NHK: I understand that Japan took the lead in promoting initiatives for financial cooperation among the ASEAN +3. However, the economies of Asia are widely considered to be robust and to have a larger amount of foreign exchange reserves than Europe. Given that situation, why does Japan need to undertake financial cooperation with Asia now?

Minister: I think the specifics of that cooperation are under discussion by the financial authorities concerned. I would like to answer your question after I look into the details. But you are aware of the conditions in Europe, and those conditions are having an impact on the United States. I think a key factor will be the extent to which emerging countries can undergird the global economy. In that sense, I think that it will be important to the entire global economy in the future for emerging countries, including ASEAN in particular, to set up a safety net including risk hedges. I have not confirmed the contents of the agreement to which you are referring, and I would like to comment further, if necessary, after I check into it.

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