Top > Announcement > Press Conference by Foreign Minister > February 8, 2013

(* 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 Fumio Kishida

Date: Friday, February 8, 2013, 8:45 a.m.
Place: in the Diet

Main topics:

  1. Opening Remarks
    • (1) Visit to Japan by Mr. José Manuel García-Margallo y Marfil, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain, and Dr. R.M. Marty M. Natalegawa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia
    • (2) Visit to Okinawa
  2. Visit to Okinawa
  3. Incident of Chinese navy vessel’s weapons-guiding radar lock-on
  4. Right to collective self-defense
  5. Incident of Chinese navy vessel’s weapons-guiding radar lock-on

1. Opening Remarks

(1) Visit to Japan by Mr. José Manuel García-Margallo y Marfil, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain, and Dr. R.M. Marty M. Natalegawa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia

Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida: From February 12 to February 16, Mr. José Manuel García-Margallo y Marfil, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain, will visit Japan as a working visit upon invitation by Minister for Foreign Affairs. In addition, between February 13 and February 15, we will welcome Dr. R.M. Marty M. Natalegawa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia, as a working visit upon invitation by Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Minister García-Margallo will be the first guest upon invitation by Minister for Foreign Affairs whom I will welcome as Minister for Foreign Affairs. Through this year and next year, we will celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Japan–Spain relationship, and I hope to further deepen the friendly and cooperative bilateral relations of our two countries.

Further, in securing the peace and stability of the region, it is also extremely important to enhance relations with Indonesia, the core country of ASEAN. I will have a strategic dialogue with Minister Natalegawa and follow up the achievements of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to Indonesia, bolster firm collaboration between the Foreign Ministers, and further strengthen our “strategic partnership” with Indonesia.

(2) Visit to Okinawa

Minister Kishida: If the conditions allow, I plan to visit Okinawa next weekend.

I have visited Okinawa on many occasions, and as Minister for Foreign Affairs, I hope to visit Okinawa at an early timing and confirm the local situation including the military base issue as well as communicate with the local people.

During this visit, I plan to have an exchange of opinions with Mr. Hirokazu Nakaima, Governor of the Okinawa Prefecture and other local authorities, as well as visit the U.S. Forces Japan facilities and areas.

2. Visit to Okinawa

Hirouchi, NHK: Firstly, I would like to ask about your visit to Okinawa. In your meeting with the Governor of Okinawa, what views do you believe will be exchanged in the discussions on the relocation of Futenma Air Station? Also, regarding the timing of the application for landfill which is a requirement for the relocation, when do you believe this will be?

Minister Kishida: Regarding the conversation with the Governor, its agenda and contents have not yet been decided at this point and although I do not think it would be appropriate to prejudge, I hope to exchange opinions on a wide and varying challenges in a solid and frank way and improve communications. I hope to make this an opportunity to steadily build trust with Governor Hirokazu Nakaima and also the local people of Okinawa.

3. Incident of Chinese navy vessel’s weapons-guiding radar lock-on

Hirouchi, NHK: I would like to ask you about the Chinese navy vessel’s weapons-guiding radar that locked onto a Japanese vessel. Has China responded to Japan with its investigation results? Under this state of affairs, tomorrow, Yamanashi Prefecture will hold an exchange event with China to promote tourism in the area. What is your take on the importance of this sort of dialogue event?

Minister Kishida: Regarding this incident of a radar lock-on by China, on the evening of February 5 the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has lodged a protest to the Chinese side against its very dangerous act potentially leading to a contingency, and has stated that it is extremely regrettable. Together with our protest, we requested recurrence prevention. Since then, the two countries have kept communicating, and on the evening of February 7, there was an explanation from the Chinese Ministry of National Defense to the Japanese Embassy in China. The explanation was that what the Japanese side had publicized about the incident was not in accordance with the facts. Our side responded to this by stating that it was the result of careful and detailed analysis by our Ministry of Defense. We also replied that the Chinese navy vessel’s weapons-guiding radar lock-on and the possibility of such action had been confirmed, and that the Chinese side’s explanation that it was not in accordance with the facts was completely unacceptable. That is the content of the talk.

I am aware of the exchange event. Japan currently faces multiple difficult issues with China, including this radar incident and China’s frequent intrusions into Japanese territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands. Evidently, Japan and China are faced with extremely difficult situations, but it is our recognition that Japan-China relations are one of the most important bilateral relations, and that Japan-China relations are of the utmost importance not merely for the people of both countries but also for the peace and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region. We must return to our original point of mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests and address Japan-China relations calmly and based on a broad perspective. We hope to call on China for their calm and broad perspective-based response.

4. Right to collective self-defense

Nikaido, Asahi Shimbun: An experts’ meeting on the right to collective self-defense will be held today. What hopes do you have for the discussions?

Minister Kishida: This meeting is being held in response to Japan’s ever-changing security environment. I sincerely hope that the attendees will consider the requirements posed by our changing environment, have discussions that serve to enhance Japan’s security, and offer recommendations.

5. Incident of Chinese navy vessel’s weapons-guiding radar lock-on

Kikuchi, Nippon Television: China responded to Japan saying that there were no facts of a weapons-guiding radar lock-on. How did the Japanese Government further respond to this claim?

Minister Kishida: As I said a moment ago, we responded to China that Japan wouldn’t accept their explanation, and requested a sincere response.

Nishikawa, TBS: Did you request further investigation on their side?

Minister Kishida: We requested a sincere response. That is the fact. In any event, we cannot accept China’s response to this matter. I will make clear that Japan’s official announcement is based on a very thorough confirmation.

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