Press Conference by the Press Secretary 12 January 1996

Introduction of background briefing on the visit to Japan by Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Acting Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ken Shimanouchi: Good afternoon. Immediately following this regular briefing, we will provide a background briefing on the upcoming visit by Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. I would be very glad to answer your questions now.
Japanese policy on the Russian Federation
Q: We have a new Japanese Government. Can we expect the same direction for the Japanese policies toward Russia?

A: With regard to Japan's foreign policy in general, the key word will be "continuity." In a statement made to the members of his cabinet in the early hours this morning, Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto said that he will be firmly maintaining consistency and continuity in terms of both domestic and foreign policy. Minister for Foreign Affairs Yukihiko Ikeda also stated in his press conference early this morning that he will be attaching importance to the continuity of policies, particularly in the area of foreign policy. He said that he holds in high regard the efforts and achievements of his predecessor, former Minister for Foreign Affairs Yohei Kono. He will be carrying on Mr. Kono's work, and he will be building on it. With regard to our ties with the Russian Federation, they will be basically the same. We will pursue the same policies. We think it is very important to solve the territorial issue, to sign the Peace Agreement, and to fully normalize our relations with the Russian Federation on the basis of the 1993 Tokyo Declaration. We will be making efforts along those lines.

Q: Under the previous Government, there was a plan that this year three members of the Japanese Government would visit Moscow. First of all, that the Prime Minister would take part in the Moscow Summit 7+1, and the Foreign Minister, even before the Summit, would visit Moscow. After all of that, the Director-General of the Defense Agency also would visit Moscow. Does this remain intact, or can we expect any correction or rearrangement?

A: I think there is no change in the basic situation regarding high-level visits to Russia. Regarding the Summit, we understand that the Government of the Russian Federation is presently discussing the possibility of holding the Summit on 19-20 April with the G-7 side, but that no decision or agreement has been reached on specific dates yet. Of course, the Summit will be a meeting of world leaders and we envisage the participation of the Prime Minister of Japan in the meeting. But, since the date has not been finalized yet, and since we do not know what the situation here in Japan, particularly in the Diet, will look like in April, we cannot make a formal announcement yet that the Prime Minister will be making a visit to the Russian Federation -- but it is on the calendar. With regard to the Minister for Foreign Affairs' visit to the Russian Federation, of course we are fully aware that it is the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs' turn to visit Moscow. Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrei Kozyrev of the Russian Federation was in Tokyo for the regular meetings of foreign ministers in March last year. This time it is Foreign Minister Ikeda's turn to go to the Russian Federation. If and when he does go to Moscow, he will be holding the regular consultation of foreign ministers, and also, they will be holding a session of the Governmental Committee on Trade and Economic Matters. This will be a very important visit -- and very important meetings -- for both countries. In September last year, we held a meeting on the working group on the Peace Treaty, but also a meeting of the sub-group on economic matters. In that sense we have already started making preparations for the visit. But, with regard to the exact timing of the Minister for Foreign Affairs' visit, we will have to look at the domestic situation -- the situation in the Diet -- a little more closely. So, I cannot confirm at this time that he will be making a visit before the Prime Minister visits Moscow. With regard to the visit by the Director-General of the Defense Agency, I will have to refer you to the Defence Agency for that question. I do not have any information at hand on that.
Visit to Japan by Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Q: Can you explain about the visit by Prime Minister Bhutto and the main proposal of this visit?

A: Yes, I think you can get a more detailed answer to your question in the background briefing that will take place after this regular press conference. But, let me answer that question here in very general terms. This will be the first visit to Japan by a Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan since 1992. It will be the first visit by Prime Minister Bhutto since 1987 when she paid an official visit to Japan. We consider her to be a very good friend of Japan and welcome her visit. We believe that the visit will provide a very good opportunity to further strengthen the ties of friendship that exist between the two countries. Presently the ties between the countries which center on trade and economic and technical cooperation are in excellent shape. With regard to the agenda of her meeting with our Prime Minister, we are still finalizing the agenda with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. This is my personal opinion, but I anticipate -- given the importance of bilateral ties -- we will be discussing bilateral issues. We will be discussing the situation in South Asia, and perhaps we may be discussing regional cooperation and global cooperation.

Q: The U.S. Congress has recently voted on a US$20 million budget to be spent for destabilization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and this issue is a kind of Governmental terrorism and violation of international law. Do you have any comment about this issue?

A: Are you referring to the bill currently being debated in the United States Congress which was passed by the Senate?

Q: No, not passed. About the US$20 million budget allocated to be spent for the destabilization of Iran.

A: I do not have any factual information on that. I am not in the position to comment on that.
Summit and consultations schedules
Q: A new Government and a new foreign minister have come in, but does this change in any way affect, for example, the U.S.-Japan Summit currently slated for April, or earlier than that, the South Korea-United States-Japan consultations in Hawaii late February?

A: There will be no changes in the dates for President Clinton's visit to Japan. It will take place as scheduled. I do not have any specific dates for the trilateral meeting which is scheduled to take place in Hawaii. I do not have any information on that. I could check with the Northeast Asia people and get back to you.
Intergovernmental radioactive waste disposal efforts
Q: I read a brief report concerning Japan building a floating reprocessing plant for low-level radioactive waste, which the Russians have been dumping in the sea.

A: Yes, I can confirm that. An agreement was signed by the Japan-Russian Federation Committee on Cooperation for the Dismantling of Nuclear Weapons. It is an inter-governmental committee. The Agreement was signed by this committee and the joint venture between Tomen of Japan and a United States company, Babcock and Wilcox Nuclear Environmental Services, Inc. It was signed yesterday and concerns the construction of facilities for the storage and disposal of liquid radioactive waste. We believe that the construction of these facilities is essential for preventing the dumping in the ocean of radioactive material by the Russian Federation. This facility is actually a barge. It is a floating dock -- I don't know if that's the accurate technical term -- which will be anchored off the coast of Vladivostok. When completed, we believe that this facility will have enough capability to store and dispose of liquid nuclear radioactive waste, so as to prevent the dumping of such waste in the ocean in the future.

Q: Do you have any figures as to how much this contract is worth?

A: Yes, I think it was 2.5 billion yen.

Q: It was denominated in yen, correct?

A: Yes, I believe so. I will check and let you know later.
Preservation of traditional culture
Q: I would like to ask a question about the cultural situation in Japan. I come from Pakistan, and there we have a lot of cultural invasion from other countries. So, I would like to know the situation in Japan. Is it that other cultures are invading here? If yes, why? Or, if the answer is no, then what are the reasons?

A: The term "cultural invasion" is not a term familiar to us. I do not think anyone is concerned about the invasion of foreign cultures in Japan. But, I think there is a question of erosion of traditional culture. Before I go on further, I have to warn you that the preservation of traditional culture falls outside of the purview of this ministry. There is another government agency, the Cultural Affairs Agency, which is responsible for preservation of culture in Japan. Having said that, let me give you some personal observations. I think you raised a very important issue here -- the rapid transformation of social structures in many countries, including Japan, I think threaten to bring about the decline, or even the extinction of traditional cultural heritage. I think this is particularly acute in the case of intangible cultural assets, such as music and performing arts. I believe that deliberate efforts must be made to prevent this from happening. In Japan, as I said, the Cultural Affairs Agency is the agency responsible for preserving traditional cultures. What the Agency does is to designate representative elements as important cultural properties in accordance with legislation enacted for that purpose. Here in Japan, considerable success has been achieved by presenting cultural heritage to the public, by training new generations to carry on traditions, by compiling records, and by conducting research. We also think that international cooperation is important in this area. Recently the Government of Japan, jointly with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) hosted the International Conference on the Preservation of Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific. I am told that this was a very fruitful conference. So, we do believe that preservation of culture has an international dimension to it. For your information, our Government has a program for extending cultural grants to other countries. In the case of Pakistan in 1993, we donated 41 million yen
Recent activities in the Republic of Chechnya
Q: The U.S State Department strongly condemned the Chechen guerrillas who took the hostages in this republic. I would like to know what is the Japanese reaction to these recent activities around the Chechen Republic?

A: I think we are following with grave concern the situation now developing around the Republic of Chechnya. That is all I can say at the moment. We have not made an official statement on this matter. Thank you very much.

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