Press Conference by the Press Secretary 19 November 1996
- Announcements to the press
- Japan-Democratic People's Republic of Korea bilateral relations
- Agenda for a meeting between Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and President Kim Young Sam of the Republic of Korea at the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Meeting
- Meeting of Mr. Masahiko Komura, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs with Ambassador to Japan, Kim Tae Zhee of the Republic of Korea
- Discussions concerning election of Secretary- General of the United Nations
- Issues concerning the Middle East peace process
- Japan-Russian Federation territorial issues
- Japan EXIM Bank loans to the Russian Federation
- Announcements to the press
- Mr. Masahiko Komura assumes the post of Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hiroshi Hashimoto: On 8 November, Masahiko Komura assumed the post of Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs. Parliamentary Vice- Minister Komura has past experience in a Cabinet post, and this selection reflects the policy of the second Hashimoto Administration of strengthening Japan's foreign policy capacity under the direction of Minister for Foreign Affairs Yukihiko Ikeda. In view of this new situation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has revised the English title of the Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs to "State Secretary for Foreign Affairs." In principle, the State Secretary will implement the duties on behalf of the Foreign Minister on various occasions, both at home and abroad, when the Minister for Foreign Affairs is unable to attend.
- Background information on the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Meeting
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hiroshi Hashimoto: Secondly, I would like to very quickly explain about the upcoming Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Meetings. I touched on this subject twice already at past press conferences, and my colleague briefed you on Japan's policies after these meetings. Today we have distributed some papers. I will quickly explain to you the nature of these papers, and I hope you will refer to them when you have time. There are three separate papers. One is titled "APEC Meetings in the Philippines." On the first page it is sub-titled "Concrete Results Expected at the APEC Meetings in the Philippines." There are five pillars which the Ministers and Leaders will discuss. The following pages will explain what the Meeting is expected to cover, and what Japan's contributions are expected to be under the five pillars. As far as page two is concerned, there is one exploration on the right side of the page. Japan's contributions to sustainable economic growth, population, energy, food supply, and environment are not stated under the pillar. Those are Japan's contributions which we will try to discuss even though this subject is not categorized as one of the five pillars I just described. If you have questions on any of these papers, I am prepared to explain them to you. Apart from that, there is a paper which explains Japan's initiatives on the so- called Partners for Progress (PFP). The character of the PFP is explained in this separate paper. At my last press conference, a gentleman asked about the possible decrease of interest in APEC by the United States. Therefore we have produced some very basic data in this last paper, so that people understand that the United States is in fact benefitting from cooperation with APEC. Those are the announcements that I wanted to make, and I will be delighted to respond to any questions that you might have.
- Mr. Masahiko Komura assumes the post of Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs
- Japan-Democratic People's Republic of Korea bilateral relations
Q: Recently, the Korean President, Kim Young-Sam, said that he will not consider supporting the build-up of light water reactors if North Korea does not apologize for the submarine incident. What is the Japanese Government's view on "apology first, then support?" Does the Japanese Government agree with the Korean President's view?
A: Let me put it in the following way. The Government of Japan considers the submarine incident unacceptable in international society, and the Government of Japan sincerely hopes that authorities from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea will treat this serious matter sincerely. As far as the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) is concerned, we believe that some activities under KEDO are naturally affected by the submarine incident. But, at the same time, we think that the Korean authorities have not taken concrete measures which are against the agreement of KEDO, and together with the Republic of Korea and the United States, Japan wants to continue its practical business under KEDO. For example, we understand that North Korea issues rather harsh statements, but at the same time, the closure of the old type of reactor, which was under the criticism of many countries, is continuing, and the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) cooperation is continuing. Also, the supply of crude oil to North Korea continues, as far as the KEDO agreement is concerned. So, I believe that Japan wants to continue our business under KEDO, together with the United States, and with other countries.
- Agenda for a meeting between Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and President Kim Young Sam of the Republic of Korea at the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Meeting
Q: I have another question about the APEC Meetings in the Philippines. Prime Minister Hashimoto will meet with many Heads of State during his visit there, and it has already been stated that he will have an independent summit with President Kim. Could you tell us what some of the contents of topics will be?
A: I think Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto is very happy to meet President Kim Young Sam of the Republic of Korea once again, in Manila. The two leaders can cover both bilateral issues and international relations, which the two gentlemen are both interested in. However, we have not yet decided the details of the agenda for these leaders. I am sure that they are both happy to exchange views very freely on those subjects, and I am confident that the talks between the two leaders will be very fruitful.
- Meeting of Mr. Masahiko Komura, Parliamentary Vice- Minister for Foreign Affairs with Ambassador to Japan, Kim Tae Zhee of the Republic of Korea
Q: One final question. This afternoon around 3:00, the Korean Ambassador to Japan, Kim Tae Zhee, will visit the Foreign Ministry, and he will be meeting with State Secretary Komura. What are some of the topics they will talk about?
A: As I explained earlier today, our State Secretary Komura is going to assume various duties. Mr. Komura is very happy to meet the Ambassador to Japan, Kim Tae Zhee of the Republic of Korea. This will be the first meeting between the two gentlemen, and I am not sure what subjects they may touch upon. The important thing for the time being is for them to get to know each other, and I am sure that the personal relationship between the two gentlemen will contribute to the strengthening of talks at the Ministers Meeting and the Leaders Meeting in the future.
- Discussions concerning election of Secretary-General of the United Nations
Q: There is a big debate right now in the United Nations Security Council regarding the United Nations Secretary- General Boutros Boutros Ghali. So, could you simply explain to us what is the Japanese Government position -- if you support the United States' opposition to Secretary-General Boutros Boutros Ghali. Does he have some achievement in the United Nations?
A: First of all, if we talk about the debates in the Security Council, Japan is still not a member of the Security Council, so we must continuously watch the discussions that take place. They have recently started to exchange views on this subject. We understand that the United States has strong reservations about the reelection of the United Nations Secretary-General Boutros Boutros Ghali as the Secretary-General in the next term. We understand, at the same time, that many African countries and some other countries support the reelection of Secretary-General Boutros Boutros Ghali, and we do not know what will happen with the debate in the UN Security Council. If the United States continues to veto his reelection, and if the possibility of his reelection completely disappears, we expect that the African countries will nominate a candidate for the position of Secretary-General. We are carefully watching this situation, and we would like to continuously exchange views with other countries. Eventually we will take a position on this issue. You asked me how the Government of Japan appreciates the efforts of Secretary-General Boutros Boutros Ghali. The Government of Japan has established a very good working relationship with Secretary-General Boutros Boutros Ghali, and in this sense we have been very happy to work with him. However, if you talk about the issue of his reelection, we must also take into highest consideration the opinions of other countries, especially the P-5. Now, the United States is showing strong reservations, so we have to consider the various elements on this issue, and we have not yet decided our position.
Q: What if other countries like Germany or Russia change their position?
A: I am sorry. I cannot tell you which countries are asking the United States to rethink the Secretary-General issue. In any case, the Security Council has a big say in this situation. Therefore, for the time being, we are carefully watching the debate at the Security Council.
- Issues concerning the Middle East peace process
Q: Last week there was a conference in Cairo, which just finished. What do you think of this conference? Do you think this has added to progress in the Middle East peace process?
A: This economic conference was held under a severe atmosphere surrounding the peace process. Basically, the conference addressed the economic issue, and as far as this issue is concerned, both government officials and business representatives were able to exchange fruitful reviews. Unfortunately, the peace process itself, especially on the Palestine track, has been halted. We hope that that bilateral track will begin to move forward. However, Japan wants to make progress, both on the bilateral tracks and the multilateral tracks.
- Japan-Russian Federation territorial issues
Q: During the recent visit by Mr. Primakov to Tokyo, he expressed some ideas concerning Japanese economic activities on the Southern Kurils or Northern Territories. He stressed that those ideas are in step with settlement of the territorial dispute itself, and that they are not damaging to the position of either side. What is the basic feeling of the Japanese Government on those general ideas?
A: The exchange of views between Minister of Foreign Affairs Evgenii Maksimovich Primakov of the Russian Federation and Minister for Foreign Affairs Yukihiko Ikeda was fruitful. Especially, we appreciate very much that the Japanese and the Russian sides once again reaffirmed the affirmation of the bilateral relationship based on the Tokyo Declaration. As for the territorial issues, the position of the Government of Japan is to advance both the territorial issue itself and the so-called issue of improvement of the atmosphere surrounding the territorial issues, while the Russian side is to emphasize more the importance of improving the atmosphere surrounding the territorial issue. So, there is a gap between these two positions. However, the important thing is that Foreign Minister Primakov did not deny the Japanese approach. In regard to the improvement of the atmosphere surrounding the territorial issue, yes, Foreign Minister Primakov made a proposal on the joint economic activities, but, he himself explained to Foreign Minister Ikeda that he was not ready to disclose in detail the content of the proposal. Foreign Minister Ikeda replied that Japan cannot agree to shelve the territorial issue. Japan cannot agree to replace the issue of improvement of the atmosphere surrounding the territorial issues with the territorial negotiations themselves. However, the Japanese side is ready to listen to the Russian side if they make a real proposal on this. We understand that Foreign Minister Primakov's proposal is in line with the improvement of the atmosphere surrounding the territorial issue, rather than directly related to the territorial issue. As far as the issue of improvement is concerned, we have already agreed to conduct the framework talks on 20 and 21 November. Once again both Japan and Russia will hold the next round of talks. We hope, first of all, that we can solve this issue, which is very difficult because we have to solve it without damaging the fundamental positions of Japan and Russia. But, if we can solve this issue, there is a possibility that we can step up our efforts and tackle the tentative proposal made by Foreign Minister Primakov on so-called joint economic activities. For the time being, that is what we understand.
- Japan EXIM Bank loans to the Russian Federation
Q: To follow up on this. During the talks between Foreign Minister Ikeda and Foreign Minister Primakov, the sum of US$500 billion was mentioned. My understanding is that it was just a kind of confirmation on the part of the Japanese Government, that we pledged to give you the sum and we will keep this pledge. So, were there any real developments concerning that particular figure?
A: In 1991, the Government of Japan publicized the aid package to Russia, which was equal to US$2.5 million. It included US$500 million EXIM bank loans for humanitarian purposes. Since that time, the Japanese and the Russian sides have been discussing how to use this US$500 billion. It has taken a rather long time to decide how this money is actually going to be disbursed. The Russian side said that they would like to use much of the money for another purpose, rather than for humanitarian purposes, while the Japanese side said that they need to use this money for humanitarian purposes which still remain. Therefore, we must secure a specific amount of money for that purpose. So, we have been talking about how to divide the two. At the same time, the Japanese side said we would like to emphasize the importance of the needs of the Far East, while the Russian side said that some funds should be used in the other parts of Russia. Again, we have been exchanging views on this issue. This time, both sides have eventually agreed on how to use the money. In accordance with the agreement between the two governments, the US$500 million EXIM bank can be used if the actual project is presented to the EXIM Bank of Japan.
Q: The agreement was reached during these talks?
A: We have been talking for a long time, and finally we announced the agreement at that time. Thank you very much.
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