Press Conference by Press Sec. 4 April 1995

1. Dispatch of Japanese police officers to the Russian Federation
2. Issues in connection with the nerve gas incident on Tokyo subways
3. Timing of possible resumption of normalization talks between Japan and North Korea
4. Shipment of radioactive waste
5. Dispatch of Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Hiroshi Fukuda to the Union of Myanmar
6. Japan's participation in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Spillover Monitor Mission to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

1. Dispatch of Japanese police officers to the Russian Federation

   Foreign Ministry Spokesman Terusuke Terada: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I don't have any initial announcement to make, so I would be delighted to take your questions from the start.

   Q: I was wondering if you have any information about the Japanese Police Agency sending two officers to the Russian Federation?

   A: In fact we do not have any official communication as to the results of the dispatch of the two police officers to Moscow. They were sent to conduct an exchange of information with the Russian authorities, and actually, these officers are now in Moscow, but we have not received any information regarding the consultations which should be being held between the Russian authorities and these two Japanese police officers.

2. Issues in connection with the nerve gas incident on Tokyo subways

   Q: Were there any Foreign Ministry officials affected in the subway incident a few weeks ago?

   A: To the best of my knowledge, yes. There were four or five employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who happened to be in this area, and, very much unfortunately, were affected by this sarin gas incident. But I am given to understand that their case was not a very serious one.

   Q: I am sorry I was late, but it's a related question. After that nerve gas incident, the Diet passed a domestic prohibition legislation, but could you tell us what kind of impact the incident may have had, and should have, on chemical weapons in general, not only in terrorist hands, but also acquired and possibly used by the military of any country?

   A: Of course, there are so many speculative stories appearing in the Japanese language papers. The truth is that the investigation is still underway. So, at this particular point, I should say that I shall not speculate on the impact of this incident which took place here in this part of Tokyo. Once the full results of this investigation are known to us, we shall make an official comment. Before that, I shall refrain from making any official comments on that.

   Q: There have been a lot of discussions about the chemical weapons prohibition regime on the international scene. Has the recent incident strengthened the past Japanese position, or would you say it may somehow embarrass it?

   A: I should say that the negotiation process on the Chemical Weapons Convention is over; now, every signatory government is asked to quicken the ratification process. In the case of Japan, this incident prompted the Japanese Diet to give its approval. We are certainly hoping that this very important multilateral treaty will become effective as quickly as possible.

3. Timing of possible resumption of normalization talks between Japan and North Korea

   Q: Could you tell us the current estimation or possible schedule for resumption of the North Korean normalization talks, particularly after the Watanabe mission has come back?

   A: We are being asked the same question over and over again, but all I can say is that the exact timing for the resumption of normalization talks has yet to be coordinated between the Japanese and North Korean governments. At this stage, no date has been fixed. In this connection, I think I should like to add that, in determining the exact dates for the resumption of the normalization talks, the Government of Japan has the intention of taking other elements into consideration, such as the next technical talks between Washington, D.C. and Pyongyang, for instance.

   Q: You have twice used the word, "exact" -- "exact timing" or "exact date." How about a rough timing or a rough date? For example, Japanese news reports say it will be held within April.

   A: We are very much aware of the speculative articles appearing elsewhere, but we are not commenting, even on the approximate dates for the resumption of normalization talks. Once we have taken a decision on the dates we are quite happy to make a public announcement.

   Q: When, and if, the talks resume, would the representatives on both sides be of the same caliber as in the past negotiations?

   A: As far as the Japanese side is concerned, the Government has nominated Ambassador Hiromoto Seki as Chief Negotiator. In the case of the North Korean delegation, we do not have any exact knowledge. Perhaps, once a position is taken to resume the talks, we shall be able to know who will be Ambassador Seki's counterpart from North Korea.

4. Shipment of radioactive waste

   Q: The same old question, I am sorry -- but Japan is still determined not to release the route of the Pacific Pintail, which is now only available exclusively from Greenpeace.

   A: You should know that the Government of Japan has the position that it is still interested in publicizing all relevant information with respect to the transport of radioactive materials. But after all, this is a tripartite operation involving Japan, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the French Republic. At the time of initiating the shipment from the French port, it was agreed among the three parties that we should withhold the relevant information for security reasons. And since the Japanese side is quite faithful to the international commitment, we do not feel free to talk about this particular issue. We simply have to honor what was promised.

   Q: But in terms of the so-called public acceptance viewpoint, would you say that it would be rather negative for the Government of Japan not to release most of the important information to the public while an extremely anti- nuclear environmentalist organization is giving all the press a twice daily update of the location and all the communications between the Pacific Pintail and other naval vessels? Would it be politically sound?

   A: We are trying, together with the Governments of France and the United Kingdom, to explain the scientific nature of this transport. We are absolutely sure that this transport does not carry any danger. But of course, there is a certain misunderstanding because of the very active ecological movement elsewhere. We do feel that we have to keep explaining the very nature of this transport to seek more understanding from the public concerned. I am quite sure that, after having seen a certain reaction in some countries, we feel the necessity of activating further our public relations. We have to seek more thorough understanding of the issue by the public in general. This is not only the responsibility of the Japanese Government, but also the other two governments concerned. Therefore, tripartite government efforts are badly called for.

   Q: Do you have any concrete plan, or concept, for tripartite efforts?

   A: Whenever we explain to the various interested governments, our representative is accompanied by the representative of the two other governments, so this is what I term as tripartite cooperative action.

5. Dispatch of Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Hiroshi Fukuda to the Union of Myanmar

   A: Perhaps, for your information, I will make two announcements. Firstly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has decided to dispatch Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Hiroshi Fukuda to the Union of Myanmar to hold consultations with various leaders of the Government. He is to arrive at Yangon tomorrow.

   Q: How long is he going to stay?

   A: Just a couple of days. To be precise with you, he is arriving on 5 April and staying through 7 April. On this occasion, we think that Deputy Minister Fukuda will be briefed on the efforts being made by the Government of Myanmar in the fields of human rights and the democratization process. At the same time, he will take this opportunity to urge the Government of Myanmar to make more effort in improving the human rights situations, as well as to proceed more vigorously with the democratization process. This is a part of ongoing political dialogue between the two Governments.

   Q: Is there any chance that Mr. Fukuda might meet Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi?

   A: This is a dialogue between the two Governments. I do not expect that he will see that lady.

   Q: Is he going to raise that subject as part of the human rights issues in that country?

   A: I certainly think so.

6. Japan's participation in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Spillover Monitor Mission to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

   A: Another small announcement -- the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will send Ms. Chikako Taya, who is a prosecutor at the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office, to take part in the Spillover Monitor Mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). This Spillover Monitor Mission is now operating in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. We already dispatched two persons last year for the same Mission.

   A: I haven't done my homework. Could you explain about this Spillover Monitoring Mission?

   Q: Perhaps you may recall what was announced Friday last week when my colleague, Deputy Press Secretary Ken Shimanouchi, explained the latest policy with respect to the former Yugoslavia. In that announcement, we referred to our efforts in helping consolidate preventive diplomacy in Macedonia. Very fortunately, Macedonia is not yet involved in internal strife. However, considering the multi-ethnic facet of Macedonian society, there would be a certain likelihood of its becoming involved in the present warfare in the former Yugoslavia. Therefore, the United Nations has sent peace-keepers in order to prevent occurrence of such troubles in Macedonia. At the same time, OSCE has decided to dispatch a certain number of monitors to prevent the occurrence of ethnic strife. Now, the Government of Japan, for the third time, has decided to dispatch a public servant to this Mission. This is the very nature of the Spillover Monitor Mission.

   Q: That area is so complicated, but could you brief us on Japan's diplomatic relations and the presence of embassies and consulates in that area?

   A: Yes. We do not have any diplomatic relationship with Serbia, nor with Bosnia and Herzogovina. We have recognized Croatia, the Republic of Slovania, and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. In none of these three countries which I just referred to do we have embassies at all. Our Embassy in Vienna covers these three countries. In other words, our Ambassador to the Republic of Austria is concurrently accredited with the three former Yugoslav countries.

   Q: Does this Ms. Taya, the public prosecutor, have special qualifications or talents to be assigned to this part of the world?

   A: Definitely, yes. She has the very special qualification of having specialized in the area of human rights. She spent some time working with the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights as a member of the Japanese delegation to the Commission. She spent some time working with us in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She is quite good in both French and English. So, we do think that this prosecutor is an ideal candidate whom the Japanese Government has produced to take part in this Spillover Monitor Mission. Our participation in this Spillover Monitor Mission is also considered to be a part of our contribution towards peace in the region.