Weekly Media FAQ

December 7, 2007

Japan-China Relations

Japan-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting

Q: What was discussed between Foreign Minister Koumura and his Chinese counterpart in Beijing on December 1? What did they accomplish?

A: The two ministers addressed a wide range of topics, including the bilateral relationship, exchanges at a high level as well as youth exchanges, history, Taiwan, joint exploitation in the East China Sea, North Korea, Myanmar, regional cooperation in East Asia, climate change, and reforms of the UN.

In particular, Foreign Minister Koumura stated that our job is to bring about the successful completion of a series of major events, namely Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's visit to China, President Hu Jintao's visit to Japan, the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit, and the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, and make next year, which marks the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship, one to be remembered for many years to come as the year in which Japan-China relations took a major leap forward. Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi agreed with this Foreign Minister Koumura's statement.

Foreign Minister Yang stated that he wants to enrich the substance of the "mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests" and also that he very much valued the fact that China and Japan had achieved solid results in various aspects of their bilateral relations over the past year.

Finally, both sides confirmed that they would begin coordination of the 2008 Friendly Exchange Year of the Youth, which had been agreed upon at the most recent Japan-China summit meeting in Singapore in November.

East China Sea Issue

Q: Was any progress made on the East China Sea issue between Japan and China while Foreign Minister Koumura and other cabinet ministers visited China last weekend?

A: Little progress was made as Foreign Minister Koumura stated, and it seems quite difficult to bridge the gap between the positions of the both sides. However, it can be said that on both sides, political will to manage to resolve the issue is now stronger than before. We strongly hope that China would make a brave political decision, hopefully before the visit of Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda to China, which we hope to take place sometime soon, to make the joint development of natural resources in the East China Sea a symbol of the great leap forward in Japan-China relations.

Possible Visit of the Japanese Prime Minister to China

Q: The timing of the Prime Minister's visit has not been decided yet. It is not likely to be this year, presumably?

A: It has been repeatedly expressed that the Prime Minister's visit should take place sooner rather than later, but the specific date when Prime Minister Fukuda can make a visit to Beijing depends on the situation in the Diet.

The Japanese Whale Research Program

Q: Why is Japan's scientific whaling allowed and necessary? Does the Japanese whale research program allow the capture of fin whales and humpback whales, which may be threatened species?

A: There are more than 80 species of cetaceans in the world. While some are endangered, others are abundant. The Japanese Government strongly supports the protection of endangered species. On the other hand, Japan's basic approach is to encourage the sustainable use of natural resources. Japan's scientific whaling is essential in order to collect necessary information for the proper management of whale resources.

Scientific Research Whaling is a legitimate right of the Contracting Party under Article VIII of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW), which is the founding convention of IWC (International Whaling Commission). And Japan's scientific research whaling is conducted on a limited scale so as not to affect the stocks of those species.

According to Japan's sighting survey, the stock of fin whales and humpback whales has been increasing at an annual rate of 14% to 16%. Moreover, the Scientific Committee of IWC has confirmed that the stock has been increasing at high rates of at least 10%. The estimated number of humpback whales is about 35,500. Therefore, it is commonly accepted by scientists that fin whales and humpback whales are not on the verge of extinction.

One striking example is the number of Minke whales caught by Japan (850), which represents almost 0.1% of the estimated stock mentioned (761,000). The number of humpback whales Japan is planning to catch during the current season is also small (50), i.e. 0.1% of the estimated stock mentioned (35,500). Therefore, Japan's scientific whaling poses no threat to whale stocks.

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