Top > Announcement > Press Conference by Foreign Minister > January 27, 2012

(* 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: Friday, January 27, 2012, 9:35 a.m.
Place: MOFA Press Conference Room

Main topics:

  1. Opening Remarks - Consultations towards Japan’s Participation in the TPP Negotiations
  2. TPP
  3. G20 Foreign Ministerial Informal Meeting
  4. TPP

1. Opening Remarks - Consultations towards Japan’s Participation in the TPP Negotiations

Minister Gemba: Relevant Ministries’ officials dispatched from Japan held consultations with their counterparts of Peru and Chile towards Japan's participation in the TPP negotiations on Tuesday, January 24 and Wednesday, January 25, respectively. Furthermore, the officials gathered  information on the TPP negotiations.
I heard that the results of the consultations with both countries were very positive overall. As same as the respective governments of Vietnam and Brunei with which Japan had held consultations last week, the governments of Peru and Chile welcomed Japan's interest in participating in the TPP negotiations. In my understanding, Japan obtained basic support to this matter from both Peru and Chile.
We are intensively looking into having consultations with other countries participating in the TPP negotiations, and Japan will dispatch relevant ministries’ officials to those countries as soon as necessary arrangements have been made.

2. TPP

Noguchi, Nippon Television: The Japanese Government explains that it will take a national debate into consideration before deciding on Japan's participation in the TPP negotiations. Please tell us in what specific form the national debate should be or what kind of plans the Japanese Government has on the national debate.

Minister: First, I hear that there will be some deliberations about this issue in the Diet. Moreover, I hear that some symposia will be held in various parts of Japan. It is important to go through a proper public debate while providing information through these. As the Japanese Government has already expressed, it will continue consultations over Japan's participation in the TPP negotiations at the same time, and that is the reason Japan already held consultations with four countries.

Noguchi, Nippon Television: You explained that the Japanese Government would go through a public debate, but when do you think the Japanese Government should decide on Japan's participation in the negotiations?


Minister: I think it is important to have prospects for the negotiations. For example, President Obama set an ambitious goal of concluding the negotiation by the end of this year. However, there is an official talk to set a substantial agreement in July. As you know, a 90 days' advance notice to the Congress is required in the case of the United States. I think it is essential to have a substantial national debate in January, February, and March with consideration of these matters.

3. G20 Foreign Ministerial Informal Meeting

Hanamura, TV Asahi: There is a media report that the Mexican Government as G20 Chair approached each country to hold a foreign ministerial meeting in the middle of February. You must be tied up in the Diet around the time, but it would be an opportunity for discussing sanctions against Iran and a meeting of the Japanese Foreign Minister, U.S. Secretary of State, and the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea. What would you expect from the meeting if you could attend it?

Minister: It is true that Mexico proposed the G20 foreign ministerial meeting. Since I need to sort out the relations with the Diet, it has not been decided whether I can attend the meeting. If I could attend the foreign ministerial meeting, as a matter of course, the issues over Iran and the meeting among Japan, the United States, and the Republic of Korea would be important topics.

4. TPP

Ikegawa, NHK: I understand that Japan will participate in the TPP negotiations subject to the consent of the countries concerned after going through a public debate. I think that the United States will hold the key to Japan's participation. While the Prime Minister's visit to the United States is scheduled in the future, in what timing do you want to go through the national debate or get the consent of the eight countries?

Minister: As a matter of fact, I think that January, February, and March are a very important period in terms of the national debate.

Ikegawa, NHK: Do you think that the Japanese Government wants to build a  national consensus by the end of March?

Minister: That is what we will come to a conclusion through the national debate. We are thinking of the timing keeping in mind the need that Japan should participate in the rule making process.

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