Press Conference by Press Sec. 2 June 1995

1. Visit to Japan by Prime Minister Leon Kengo Wa Dondo of the Republic of Zaire
2. Japanese emergency humanitarian assistance for those afflicted by the earthquake on Sakhalin Island in the Russian Federation
3. Ballistic missile-related test by the People's Republic of China
4. Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and upcoming ARF Ministerial Meeting

1. Visit to Japan by Prime Minister Leon Kengo Wa Dondo of the Republic of Zaire

   Acting Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ken Shimanouchi: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Prime Minister Leon Kengo Wa Dondo of the Republic of Zaire, and Mrs. Kengo, accompanied by a suite, will visit Japan from 6 to 9 June. During his stay in Japan, Prime Minister Kengo will meet with Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Yohei Kono to have an exchange of views on such matters as Japan-Zaire relations. Prime Minister Kengo is also expected to call on Director-General of the Defense Agency Tokuichiro Tamazawa. He will also visit the Institute for International Cooperation of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

   Q: My first question relates to your announcement just now. You said Prime Minister Kengo is going to meet with Director-General of the Defense Agency Tamazawa. What for?

   A: We are told that he has a strong desire to meet Director-General Tamazawa.

   Q: Do you have any idea what they are going to discuss, in particular from the side of Prime Minister Kengo?

   A: I do not have any information other than what I have just told you.

2. Japanese emergency humanitarian assistance for those afflicted by the earthquake on Sakhalin Island in the Russian Federation

   Q: What do you think of the recent remarks of President Boris Yeltsin of the Russian Federation about Japanese aid to Sakhalin, linking it with the territorial issues?

   A: We have heard about his remarks, and we are disappointed to hear of them. There is something we would like to emphasize, which is that the assistance that we are now sending to Sakhalin Island is an expression of the desire of the Government of Japan and the Japanese people to lend a helping hand to the Russian relief activities. This is being done from a purely humanitarian standpoint, and from the viewpoint of friendly ties between Japan and the Russian Federation. On 31 May, Ambassador to the Russian Federation Koji Watanabe had a meeting with First Deputy Prime Minister Oleg Soskovets, and in that meeting First Deputy Prime Minister Soskovets told Ambassador Watanabe that President Yeltsin appreciated Japan's assistance, and he himself reiterated Russia's appreciation for Japanese assistance. As you know, we have been sending daily deliveries of aid to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk starting on 30 May. I think the fourth dispatch is now on its way to Sakhalin.

   Q: Have you any intention to lodge a protest with Russia or take some diplomatic action in connection with his remarks?

   A: Public statements have already been made by high-level Government officials, and I think our views are already well known to the Russian side.

   Q: So you have no intention to stop or put off assistance?

   A: As I told you, we are extending the assistance out of humanitarian concern, and also from the standpoint of friendly ties between Japan and Russia.

3. Ballistic missile-related test by the People's Republic of China

   Q: What is the Japanese reaction to the reported test firing by China of a missile, immediately after the underground nuclear explosion?

   A: According to the Defense Agency, there is reason to believe that the People's Republic of China conducted a ballistic missile-related test on 30 May. We do not have any confirmation of whether the test was successful or not. That is all the information I have at this moment with regard to the test.

   Q: What was the Government's reaction to the test? Are you planning to take some kind of diplomatic action, or reaction, or whatever?

   A: We believe that, from the viewpoint of peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, it is desirable to enhance the transparency of defense policies and security policies of the countries in the region. On a number of occasions, we have conveyed to the Chinese Government that it was our hope that China would be forthcoming about giving greater transparency to its policies.

   Q: Would you say the current Chinese attitude is transparent enough?

   A: We have been asking them to enhance their transparency.

   Q: At this moment you cannot say that it is very transparent, can you?

   A: I think it is desirable for all the governments in the region, and of course, in the world, to enhance the transparency of their policies, particularly defense and military policies.

   Q: You said, "ballistic missile-related test" -- that there was reason to believe it took place. Maybe I would like to know too many details, but what exactly does that mean -- a "ballistic missile-related test?"

   A: That is the term that I was instructed to use -- ballistic missile-related test. I do not have any details for you on what that means.

   Q: You were actually ordered to use that term. Is that correct?

   A: Yes.

4. Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and upcoming ARF Ministerial Meeting

   Q:This leads to the next question -- that is the upcoming ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). Is Japan planning to present some kind of new and official proposal or unofficial proposal in this respect?

   A: With respect to transparency?

   Q: Transparency in security and military affairs -- for example, if I am correct, the Japanese Government has made a proposal that each country comes up with an annual White Paper on Defense. Are you going ahead further in this direction with specific proposals?

   A: Our basic position is that it is desirable for all the members of the Asean Regional Forum to issue white papers on defense policy similar to our own. Recently, in Brunei Darussalam, a Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) of the ARF was held. Among other things, the transparency of policies was discussed in this meeting. The Senior Officials Meeting decided to recommend to the ARF Ministerial Meeting that documents concerning defense policy be submitted annually on a voluntary basis. We believe, though it does not go as far as our proposal on the issuing of Defense White Papers by every government, that this is a very good first step.

   Q: Any other new directions or proposals that the Japanese Government is intending to submit at this Meeting?

   A: I do not know to what extent these were Japanese proposals, but I would be very glad to give you a readout of the Senior Officials Meeting. Would you like that?

   Q: Yes.

   A: This is the first time in the ARF that specific measures for security cooperation were discussed. One of the positive outcomes of the meeting was that the members of the ARF decided to hold intercessional activities between annual ARF meetings. They decided to set up a government support group on confidence-building measures. They also agreed to hold intercessional meetings relating to peace-keeping operations, among other things. They agreed upon a set of recommendations that they would make to the Ministerial Meeting. One of the recommendations was the Japanese proposal on documents on defense policies. Another recommendation was to enhance dialogue at the bilateral level, subregional level, and at the regional level. Another proposal was to expand high-level exchange between military academies of the member countries. The fourth recommendation was to encourage those countries which have not participated in the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms to do so. Those are some of the salient features of the ARF SOM held recently.

   Q: Would you expect the upcoming ARF session to touch upon the territorial issues? By that, I mean the Spratlys.

   A: I should not speculate on the agenda of the upcoming ARF. But I can confirm that, in the ARF SOM, North Korea's nuclear program was discussed, and the issue of the Spratlys was also discussed.