Top > Announcement > Press Conference by Foreign Minister > February 7, 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: Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 8:42 a.m.
Place: In the Diet

Main topics:

  1. Realignment of U.S. Forces in Japan
  2. TPP
  3. Prime Minister’s Visit to the United States
  4. Realignment of U.S. Forces in Japan

1. Realignment of U.S. Forces in Japan

Noguchi, Nippon Television: I understand that the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan was discussed between Japan and the U.S. at Deputy Director-General level held on February 6 local time. Could you tell us about the report you have received on this issue?

Minister Gemba: I have not received any report on this matter yet.

Noguchi, Nippon Television: Regarding this realignment issue, there has been a media report that part of the U.S. Marines who were to be transferred abroad by the original plan may be transferred to the Iwakuni air base. Could you clarify on whether this is a fact?

Minister Gemba: I am aware of the media report about the transfer to Iwakuni, but there is no such fact that this transfer is being discussed between Japan and the U.S.

Noguchi, Nippon Television: It is not under discussion?

Minister Gemba: No, it is not under discussion.

Noguchi, Nippon Television: Isn’t there any possibility at all that the transfer to Iwakuni will be brought at the negotiation table in the future?

Minister Gemba: The details of the transfer issue are yet to be worked out. As I mentioned earlier, the U.S. side has to take the timing of the Budget Message into account and we are hoping that we will be able to set a direction for this issue before the budget is released. Working out such details, however, will require more time for discussion.

Noguchi, Nippon Television: Is the government of Japan planning to make some announcement to coincide with the release of the U.S. Budget Message scheduled for February 13?

Minister Gemba: We are making arrangements with the U.S. government as we think that the announcement should be made by both governments at the same time.

Noguchi, Nippon Television: Do you think the announcement should be made on February 13, or could it be earlier than that?

Minister Gemba: We are not certain about the date yet. It may be a little earlier, possibly within a few days from now.

Yokota, Mainichi Shimbun: Regarding the issue of Iwakuni, 8,000 servicemen were to be transferred to Guam according to the original road map. In the future revision of this road map, would you still consider it more desirable that U.S. Marines be transferred abroad in view of reducing the burden?

Minister Gemba: First, the Iwakuni transfer is not being discussed at all. Having said that, I think there are both sides to this issue; one is to transfer the Marines abroad for reducing our burden and the other is to share the burden nationwide - that is if I speak in general terms. As I said at an earlier press conference, the presence of 10,000 U.S. Marines in Okinawa which is stipulated in the Japan-U.S. agreement should remain unchanged. We have been discussing this issue in a flexible manner from this standpoint. Another thing is that, from the very beginning, the precondition for the transfer talks was that both the Japanese and the U.S. governments should stick to their commitments that Henoko is the destination of Futenma Air Base relocation, and based on this premise, we have been holding talks in a flexible manner to find a way to reduce the burden of people in Okinawa without compromising our deterrence. This is the framework within which we are seeking the way to reduce, as early as possible, the burden of the people of Okinawa.

2. TPP

Ikegawa, NHK: The first meeting of the Japan-U.S. preliminary meeting on TPP will be held at dawn tomorrow, and the U.S. side has already presented their matters of interest such as automobiles and beef. Could you elaborate on the stance the Japanese government will be taking throughout this consultation?

Minister Gemba: As you know, the U.S. government has invited public comments on this issue, and there have been various opinions expressed by the interested parties. While many of such comments were basically favorable, there were also various requests made to us concerning our tariff and non-tariff barriers which require our attention. Naturally, we need to find out what the U.S. demands will be and then determine to which demand we can accommodate and to which we cannot. So, the bottom line is to decide how to take a proper response to such requests. I think the U.S. side is still in the process of making necessary coordination, and while the media is already saying that the focus of their demands will be automobiles and such, the fact is that they have not officially decided on what the agenda of the talks will be. As such, what we need to do now is to think about how we should proceed in response to the current situation.

3. Prime Minister’s Visit to the United States

Akashi, Kyodo News: There has been a media report that the Japanese and the U.S. governments have agreed on making arrangements for issuing Joint Declaration on Japan-U.S. Security during Prime Minister Noda’s visit to the U.S. Is it true?

Minister Gemba: We have not reached that stage yet. When we talk about deepening the Japan-U.S. relations and the Japan-U.S. alliance, the attention tends to be focused on the Futenma issue, but I don’t think this is the way it should be. The discussion on the deepening of Japan-U.S. alliance should feature such matters as space and cyber-related issues and how we should cope with them as well as the roles and responsibilities to be borne respectively by the Self-Defense Forces of Japan and the U.S. Forces. I would like you to carefully read my speech on the foreign policy. I mentioned that we will continuously discuss the Japan-U.S. alliance issue and I think it is important that we discuss matters that are more substantial in nature. However, since we must also consider economic, cultural and personal exchange factors, we are still not at the stage of giving you the perspective on how these talks will develop.

4. Realignment of U.S. Forces in Japan

Okada, Chugoku Shimbun: About the Iwakuni issue, you mentioned that it is not being taken up at the talks. Does this mean that the U.S. has not even sounded out our opinions on this matter?

Minister Gemba: We are not discussing this issue at all.

Okada, Chugoku Shimbun: My question is about the current situation of the Iwakuni air base. Due to the realignment of U.S. forces, the air base will be facing additional burden by having to accommodate U.S. carrier-borne aircraft. What is your view on the situation of the base at present?

Minister Gemba: As this issue is not being discussed at the table, I would rather refrain from commenting on it as it may lead to various speculations.

Yoshioka, NHK: There are those who point that this may cause the Futenma base to be fixed in its present form.

Minister Gemba: I would like you to think this matter over carefully with us. Is the situation where we always must do certain things by a certain month simply to meet the clock of the U.S. Congress normal and sound? Is it in the interest of people in Okinawa?  We have been saying that the procedure for relocating the base to Henoko should involve giving thorough explanation to people in Okinawa and obtaining their understanding. I think that the course of action we will be taking should be something that can accommodate our position and circumstances.

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