Press Conference by the Press Secretary 26 April 1996

1. Announcements to the press
1. Emergency aid from the Government of Japan to displaced persons of the Republic of Lebanon
2. Golden Week travel itinerary of Minister for Foreign Affairs Yukihiko Ikeda
2. Minister for Foreign Affairs Yukihiko Ikeda's upcoming meetings with Belgium leaders and the Director-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
3. The relations between the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China
4. Reports of a possible visit to Japan by a representative of North Korea
5. Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) membership issues
6. Ministry of Foreign Affairs Golden Week press conference and background briefing schedule

1. Announcements to the press
   1. Emergency aid from the Government of Japan to displaced persons of the Republic of Lebanon

      Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ken Shimanouchi: Good afternoon, gentlemen. As you are well aware, as a result of the deterioration of the situation in Lebanon, about 400,000 people have been displaced or otherwise afflicted. On 19 April, the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution calling on the international community to extend assistance to the displaced and afflicted persons of Lebanon. In response to this appeal, the Government of Japan decided this morning to extend emergency aid worth US$1 million to the afflicted people of Lebanon. This assistance will be channeled through the International Committee of the Red Cross. That is my first announcement.

   2. Golden Week travel itinerary of Minister for Foreign Affairs Yukihiko Ikeda

      Spokesman Ken Shimanouchi: Foreign Minister Ikeda will be departing tomorrow for an eight-day trip to three countries. First, he will be visiting the Kingdom of Belgium, where he will attend the Japan-EU Ministerial Meeting. He will also be having meetings with Belgian leaders and with Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Javier SOLANA Madariaga. In the Republic of South Africa, he will be attending the General Assembly of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). He will also have meetings with leaders of the Government of South Africa. On the last leg of the trip, he will be visiting the Republic of Turkey, where he will be having discussions with top leaders of the Government of Turkey. Those are the announcements that I wanted to make, and I will be delighted to respond to any questions that you might have.

2. Minister for Foreign Affairs Yukihiko Ikeda's upcoming meetings with Belgium leaders and the Director-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

   Q: Could you tell us exactly when Mr. Ikeda will meet the Belgium leaders and the Secretary-General of NATO?

   A: He will be meeting Director-General Solana in the evening of 28 April. This is local time in Belgium.

3. The relations between the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China

   Q: What is the Japanese reaction to the so-called strategic alliance between Russia and China which was just announced?

   A: We know very little about the visit of President Boris Yeltsin of the Russian Federation to the People's Republic of China. We got the text of the communique only a short while ago, so my comments will have to be of a very general nature. In recent years, the relations between Russia and China have become closer. President Yeltsin's visit to China, we believe, is proof of that. It is our hope that the development of the ties between Russia and China, including the agreement on confidence-building measures, will be conducive to peace and stability in the Asia- Pacific. With regard to arms transactions between the two countries, we hope that the two countries will give due regard to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. Furthermore, both Russia and China are members of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), and we hope that the two countries will make further contributions to the enhancement of transparency of the security policies of the ARF members.

   Q: Would you say that this announced alliance might be a counterbalance against the Japan-U.S. Security Declaration which was announced a couple of weeks ago?

   A: Do you have in mind specific language used in the declaration, such as "the opposition to hegemonism," and things like that?

   Q: You mean the Chinese declaration?

   A: I mean the Joint Russia-China declaration.

   Q: I understand that it specifically, or that at least a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman stressed that this is not a military alliance. At the same time, a paragraph in the declaration stressed closer ties, etc. And, that declaration was accompanied by Russian licensing of production of jet aircraft. Against this backdrop, I wonder whether it might have been worked out as a kind of counterbalance to the Japan-U.S. Declaration?

   A: We do not see things that way. I thought you had in mind the language, "the opposition to hegemonism," used in the declaration. This is nothing new. This has been used in past declarations issued between the two governments.

4. Reports of a possible visit to Japan by a representative of North Korea

   Q: There are reports that a senior North Korean official will visit Japan in early May. Would you comment on that?

   A: This is a matter being handled at the level of political parties, so there is very little I can say on this. There was a report in one of the morning papers today which suggested that a decision was made by the ruling political parties to receive this visit, but we are told that no such decision has been made.

   Q: You mean on the governmental level?

   A: No, I mean at the level of political parties; no decision for the three political parties to receive this delegation. We are told that no such decision has been made. We understand that the three political parties are of the view that relations between Japan and North Korea should be handled at the government-government level.

5. Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) membership issues

   Q: There was a report by the European Union Commission that the organization on atomic energy of the European Union, called EURATOM, has voiced that it would like to join the KEDO, the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization. Has the Government of Japan received any contact at all along that line from the European side?

   A: On 24 April, the European Union Commission issued a press release stating that the EURATOM will become a member of the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO), and that over the next five years, they would be contributing ECU 15 million to the KEDO annually. This is just a proposal at the commission-level, and it is subject to approval by the Ministerial Council. We see the proposal of the EU Commission as a manifestation of the positive approach that the EU is taking with regard to the question of North Korea's nuclear development program. As I said, this proposal still has to be discussed among the EU members. But, we are hopeful that the EU will decide to make contributions to the KEDO which are commensurate with the EU's international standing and responsibilities in the international community.

   Q: So, you mean that at this moment, there has been no official proposal to the three countries of Japan, South Korea, and the United States, concerning European participation in KEDO?

   A: My understanding is that they are still in the midst of their decision-making process. A decision has been reached at the level of the EU Commission, but this had to be approved by the Ministers of the EU. That is my understanding. So, it is our hope that the Ministers will look at this proposal in a favorable light, and decide to make contributions to the KEDO. That is our position.

   Q: I understand that Japan and other relevant countries have been officially or unofficially soliciting the EU to join KEDO. Is that correct?

   A: Yes. Not just the EU, but countries in Asia and the Middle East. We have been making joint efforts with the Republic of Korea and the United States to bring as many countries on board as possible.

6. Ministry of Foreign Affairs Golden Week press conference and background briefing schedule

   Q: What are the scheduled press briefings during the Golden Week?

   A: We will be having the regular press briefing on Tuesday. Thank you very much.