Press Conference by the Press Secretary 20 October 1995

State Visit to Japan by President William Clinton and Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton
Acting Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ken Shimanouchi: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I have an announcement this afternoon that many people have been waiting anxiously for, concerning President Clinton's visit to Japan. His Excellency William Jefferson Clinton, President of the United States of America, and Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton, accompanied by a suite, will arrive in Japan on 17 November, and will pay a State Visit to Japan from 19 November to 21 November 1995. The Government of Japan sincerely welcomes the visit of the President and Mrs. Clinton, which will further strengthen the friendly relations existing between Japan and the United States of America. Let me tell you a little about his itinerary. It is still provisional. He will arrive at Kansai International Airport on 17 November, to attend the APEC Leaders' Meeting. On the evening of 19 November, he will arrive at Tokyo from Osaka. On the following day, Monday, 20 November, there will be a welcoming ceremony at Akasaka Palace, followed by a State Call on Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan at the Imperial Palace. In the afternoon, he will be having an official meeting with the Prime Minister, also at Akasaka Palace, and this will be followed by a press conference, also to be held at Akasaka Palace. In the evening, there will be a State Dinner at the Imperial Palace. On the following day, in the morning, he will be attending a breakfast with the American Chamber of Commerce here in Japan, at the Hotel Okura. At lunchtime, the Prime Minister will be hosting a luncheon at the Hotel New Otani. In the afternoon, Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress will pay a farewell call on President and Mrs. Clinton at Akasaka Palace, after which Mr. and Mrs.Clinton will be leaving Japan.
Agenda for the visit by President William Clinton of the United States of America
Q: Do you know what issues will be discussed by President Clinton during his visit to Japan?

A: There again, President Clinton's visit is still one month away. We are still working on the agenda; we do not have a final agenda. However, I can tell you that the purpose of the visit, as seen from the Japanese side, is to reaffirm the importance of the bilateral ties between Japan and the United States and to set the tone for the bilateral relationship, looking towards the 21st century. I anticipate that all the items and issues relating to cooperative ties between the two countries will be discussed -- that is to say, the political and security relationship, of course, and the economic aspect of the ties. I anticipate that will be discussed. Global cooperation is a very, very important aspect of the relationship, particularly the Common Agenda, under which the two countries are jointly addressing global issues such as population, environmental issues, technology transfers and AIDS. Also, I think they will be discussing cultural ties between the two countries.

Q: In security, is there anything Japan particularly wants to get out of this meeting, or from the point of view of the Japanese Government, is there anything you're aiming for?

A: Both sides are of the belief that it might well be useful if we could issue a document setting forth in very clear terms the role of the bilateral Security Arrangements in this post-Cold War period. The two governments are now discussing and working on this document at this moment.

Q: How often is this kind of document released? Would this be quite a rare thing if you announced some kind of document?

A: We have issued joint documents, not every time, but very often in the past we have issued joint documents after bilateral summit meetings have taken place between the two leaders.

Q: Would there be anything in this one which you hope will be different or a sign of progress from the previous ones, from your point of view as the Japanese Government?

A: We have been holding a series of talks, security dialogues, at various levels with the United States Government. As you may recall, in September, we held a 2-plus-2 meeting, in which the foreign ministers and defense ministers of the two countries discussed a broad range of security-related issues. This document that I just referred to -- I should say, this possible document -- is something that will sum up the results of the security dialogues that have taken place recently between the two countries. So it will reflect the latest situation. In that sense, it will be different from past documents.

Q: That was specifically the 2-plus-2 meetings in September?

A: Yes, it was held on 27 September in New York.

Q: Thank you very much.
Cancellation of a summit meeting between Japan and the French Republic
Q: On the wire phone, we have heard that Mr. Chirac will not be meeting with Mr. Murayama tomorrow in New York. What is your reaction to that?

A: Both sides were making efforts to set up the meeting to hold talks in New York, but we were unable to agree on a mutually convenient time. We would have liked to hold these talks in order to register our position on the French nuclear tests at the highest level of government, and also to exchange views on our bilateral ties with France. So it is regrettable that the meeting is not taking place. But in any case, we will continue to take every opportunity to call upon the French Government to discontinue its nuclear tests.

Q: I have another question on this subject. Do you fear an issue of France not supporting the hope of Japan to become a permanent member of the United Nations?

A: I think the French Government is in a better position to answer that question. I do believe that this issue we have of the nuclear tests is a serious problem. However, overall, the bilateral ties between Japan and France remain very healthy.
Alleged political discussions within Japan over the possible recall of the Japanese Ambassador to the French Republic
Q: Let's go back to this possible meeting between Chirac and Murayama. It looked like there were discussions in the Diet in the last few days about the possibility to recall the Japanese Ambassador to France. Can you confirm these discussions?

A: Well, I have seen some media reports about people calling for the recall of the Japanese Ambassador in France, but we have no such plans. In such moments of difficulty, I think it is very important to have a high-level presence in France to discuss these issues. We have no plans to recall the Ambassador.
Possible travel by a special envoy from Japan to Chinese Taipei
Q: This is regarding APEC, too. It is reported today that a special envoy, a Japanese representative, has been sent to Taiwan a few days ago, and it is also confirmed by the Taiwan Foreign Ministry. As a correspondent here, we found it very surprising and also very hard to understand, because we have asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs many times about its relations with Taiwan. The answer we get is always, "It hasn't been decided yet." Not only us -- I think the Japanese press has also been misguided. Yesterday, the Yomiuri Shimbun had a report that this special envoy would actually go to Taiwan today, but this morning's newspaper says that he is already back. So, I think the Foreign Ministry, because this is a newspaper that we read every day and that we also report on back to our country, so I think the Foreign Ministry owes us an explanation about why the information has never been given in advance, and why the misinformation has been given. Also, as we know, this special envoy, this Japanese representative, was sent to Taiwan because they wanted to seek our understanding, they wanted to show their politeness. So how could it possibly help, with such an impolite way?

A: We are now quietly holding discussions with Taiwan on the question of the level of the Chinese Taipei presence in the APEC meeting. In view of the nature of this matter, it would not be appropriate to discuss here about who is going to Taipei or who has been going to Taipei, or when that will happen or when that has happened. It would not be appropriate to discuss that, so I must refrain from making any further comments.

Q: Can you explain why it is not appropriate?

A: Because given the nature of the matter, we are holding quiet discussions with Chinese Taipei.

Q: This means that Mr. Hsu or Mr. Chien personally will come?

A: Our position on that has been made clear in the past. We will be following the precedents of Bogor and Seattle with respect to the question of Chinese Taipei representation at the APEC Leaders' Meeting.

Q: In the case of Indonesia, they sent a special envoy, and also sent a special communication to President Lee Teng-hui. So wouldn't that be the case for Japan, sending a special envoy and also a special communication. Wouldn't that really be politeness that we could really understand? Did they give him an invitation that asked him not to come?

A: I have to repeat what I have already said. We are discussing this matter very quietly with the Chinese Taipei side, and in view of the nature of this matter, we cannot explain here in public what our plans are or what we have done.
Possible summit meeting between Japan and the Republic of Korea
Q: Regarding Mr. Murayama's visit to New York, what is the schedule of his meetings with the Korean Prime Minister? We have heard that this has also been canceled. Is that true, or are they having a meeting?

A: I think you mean President Kim Young Sam of the Republic of Korea? Both sides have very busy schedules in New York, and Mr. Kim, as you know, will be visiting Japan shortly to attend the APEC Meeting, so the meeting was never set up.

Q: So it is not that the Korean side canceled it?

A: No, it was never fixed.
Possible summit meeting between Japan and the People's Republic of China
Q: Mr. Murayama is talking about the French nuclear tests in New York. Is he going to talk with the P.R.C.'s Vice Premier of the State Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs Qian Qichen?

A: The meeting with the French President Chirac did not work out; unfortunately, the meeting will not take place. We are scheduling a meeting with President Jiang Zemin of the People's Republic of China.

Q: And is Mr. Murayama going to take up the nuclear test issue in this meeting?

A: The agenda for the meeting is still being worked out between the two sides. It is very hard to predict what will actually be discussed in the meetings, because it is up to the President and the Prime Minister to decide what to discuss. But the nuclear tests, as you know, are an issue that is very much on the mind of the Japanese Government and the Japanese people. So I anticipate that that issue will figure in the agenda.
Current situation of Japan-Russian Federation relations
Q: Minister for Foreign Affairs Yohei Kono said today that Japan was surprised by the decision of President Boris Yeltsin of the Russian Federation to fire Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrei Kozyrev from his position. Would you be more specific about why Japan is so surprised over all this? Do you expect that his replacement may affect Russia-Japan relationship?

A: We are aware of newspaper reports to that effect. However, the same newspaper report also, I think, says that the final decision has not been made. At this point in time, we are not prepared to make any comments on the possible changes in the cabinet of a foreign government.

Q: But Mr. Kono said today that he was surprised about this news. Why?

A: Perhaps you know something that I do not know.

Q: Really? This is the cover news story today, that Japan expressed surprise Friday over Russian President Boris Yeltsin's decision to fire the Foreign Minister, and according to this story, Foreign Minister Yohei Kono said that he has come to the point of holding frank discussions with Foreign Minister Kozyrev through several talks with the Russian Foreign Minister, and that he was frankly surprised to hear of the planned dismissal announced by Yeltsin.

A: I do not know where that remark was made.

Q: His remark was made just after the regular government session -- the Diet, I guess. You do not know?

A: I do not know. Mr. Yamazaki is now here to brief you on the Prime Minister's visit to New York and his speech.

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