Press Conference by the Press Secretary 21 June 1996

Introduction to the Press Conference and Announcements to the Press
1. Visit to Japan by President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali of the Republic of Tunisia
  Spokesman Ken Shimanouchi: Before I take your questions, I would like to make two very brief announcements. My first announcement pertains to the visit to Japan by President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali of the Republic of Tunisia and Mrs. Ben Ali. President Ben Ali and Mrs. Ben Ali will pay a State Visit to Japan 9-12 July 1996. During their stay in Japan, President Ben Ali and Mrs. Ben Ali will make a State Call on Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan. Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan will host a State Dinner in honor of President Ben Ali and Mrs. Ben Ali.
  
  President Ben Ali will also have official talks with Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto. The Government of Japan heartily welcomes the visit of President Ben Ali and Mrs. Ben Ali. Let me give you a little bit of background on this visit. Tunisia has been pursuing a very moderate and realistic foreign policy. Its economy is well-managed and in good shape and the domestic situation is stable.
  
  Tunisia is playing an important role in maintaining peace and stability in Northern Africa and the Middle East. We believe that strengthening friendly and cooperative ties with Tunisia is significant from both the political and economic perspectives. We believe that the visit by President Ben Ali will provide the opportunity for the two countries to further strengthen their bilateral relationship.
2. The Lyon Summit home page
  Spokesman Ken Shimanouchi: My second announcement is about the Lyon Summit home page of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; I think you have the handouts in front of you. Starting today, 21 June, we will be making information available related to the G-7 Summit at Lyon through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs home page. This service will be provided in both English and Japanese. You will find the URL on the more colorful of the two sheets that we have handed out to you. Some of the information is already available on the home page. Other items, such as the official documents of the Summit and transcripts of our Press Conferences and Briefings at Lyon will be put on the home page as soon as they are available. For your information, this home page will have links to the home page at the Prime Minister's Office and also the home page of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the French Republic. Those are the announcements that I wanted to make, and I will be delighted to respond to any questions that you might have.
Possible views at the Lyon G-7 Summit on the Four-Party Conference proposed by the United States and the Republic of Korea
Q: In yesterday's press conference, Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto said that he will reflect as much as possible in the G-7 Summit in Lyon what he has discussed with President Kim at the Cheju Summit this weekend. He also hopes to contribute to the stability of the Korean Peninsula through that. In regard to this, are there any plans on behalf of the Japanese Government to make any kind of statement from the G-7 supporting the four-way talks proposed by the United States and the Republic of Korea.

A: What Prime Minister Hashimoto will discuss at the Lyon Summit is up to the Prime Minister himself. I think you are well aware of the Japanese position on the proposed Four-Party Conference. We believe that, for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, dialogue between the Republic of Korea and North Korea is essential, and we strongly support the proposed Four-Party Conference. What Prime Minister Hashimoto will say in Lyon will reflect this basic position of Japan.

Q: So, is it untrue that the Japanese Government will move for any kind of statement by the G-7 itself?

A: What goes into a G-7 statement reflects the actual discussions at Summit meetings. I cannot speculate on what the statement will say or will not say.
Possible topics of discussion at the Cheju Summit
Q: On the topics of discussion between the Prime Minister and the President on Cheju Island from tomorrow -- will sensitive issues like the comfort women issue be discussed at this Summit?

A: The purpose of the visit is to discuss three key areas -- the bilateral relationship, the situation in Northeast Asia, and international affairs -- and also to reaffirm through these talks the importance of friendly and cooperative ties between the two countries. I would like to refrain from going into the specifics of what might be discussed on Cheju Island.

Q: Are there any difficulties in setting up the topics of the discussion, because on Tuesday, the Director-General of the Asian Affairs Bureau was here and also discussed it. This morning it was reported that since there was so much disagreement on these kinds of sensitive issues that these will not be discussed, is that true?

A: We had a number of preparatory talks at the official level. Director-General Ryozo Kato of the Asian Affairs Bureau visited Seoul last weekend, and his counterpart was in Tokyo earlier this week. I am not in the position to disclose what was discussed between the officials of the two sides.
Reshuffle of three aides in the Government of the Russian Federation
Q: President Boris Yeltsin of the Russian Federation yesterday dismissed three members of his administration. What is Japan's stance on this situation in Russia?

A: With regard to the reshuffle of his aides, this is a domestic issue of the Russian Federation, so I do not have any comments to offer on this matter, except to say that we will be watching very carefully how this reshuffle might affect the presidential election and the domestic situation in general in the Russian Federation. We are interested.

Q: Don't you think this reshuffle can affect in some way the Japanese-Russian relations, especially with regard to the territorial issue?

A: I do not want to speculate on what effect this reshuffle will have on the bilateral relationship. We see this as a domestic issue for the Russian Federation. As you know, last April, Prime Minister Hashimoto met President Boris Yeltsin of the Russian Federation at the time of the Summit on Nuclear Safety and Security in Moscow. The two leaders reaffirmed that the two countries would be further developing bilateral ties based on the 1993 Tokyo Declaration. It was also agreed that it was important to revitalize the negotiation on the peace treaty at the level of foreign ministers. It was further agreed by the two leaders that, when the elections are over, the working group on the peace treaty at the level of vice-minister will be resumed. Since this year is the 40th anniversary of the resumption of diplomatic ties between the two countries, we hope to pursue these objectives energetically.
Japan-Russian Federation territorial issue
Q: In regard to the territorial issue between our two countries, Minister of Foreign Affairs Primakov delivered a speech on Wednesday mentioning the territorial issue, and he proposed to postpone the settlement of the territorial issue. Can Japan accept this idea?

A: I am not aware of exactly what was said in that speech. However, as you are fully aware, it was agreed in the Tokyo Declaration of 1993 that the two countries would resolve the territorial issue, conclude a peace treaty, and fully normalize their bilateral ties. We strongly feel that this is an issue that has to be addressed by the present generation and it should not be deferred to future generations. On 20 June, we made representations to the Russian Foreign Ministry through our Embassy in Moscow. In this meeting, a member of our Embassy said that if the reported comments by Minister of Foreign Affairs Evgenii Maksimovich Primakov of the Russian Federation are the same as the statement he made in January, then this is not in keeping with the positions taken by the two Governments as agreed to in the Tokyo Declaration, and this is not acceptable to the Japanese side.

Q: Foreign Minister Primakov of Russia tried to compare the nature of the territorial dispute between Japan and China to the nature of the territorial dispute between Russia and Japan. Do you think that this comparison is acceptable?

A: It is impossible to compare the two, because between Japan and China, there does not exist any territorial issue.
Japan-United States trade relations
Q: I have a question on U.S. trade issues and their implications for foreign relations. Yesterday, a deputy of Mr. Kantor was here expressing disappointment about the construction talks with Japan. Semiconductor talks are continuing and there are some differences between the U.S. and Japan. There is a move in Congress in Washington to -- and also by Mickey Kantor himself -- to give a major super-computer sale to an American company rather than a Japanese company. Are you concerned that election year politics are beginning to impact Japan-U.S. trade-relations?

A: There is agreement between the two sides that economic issues should be dealt with calmly in a non-political way, and that these issues should not be allowed to affect the overall relationship. The discussions between the two Governments on a number of issues are now being conducted in keeping with this spirit.
Japan's financial contribution to the Common Agenda
Q: Last week Under-Secretary Wirth was here, and the AID Director is here next week talking about this Common Agenda. Do have any figures as to how much Japan is contributing financially to this very broad range of projects? I understand Japan is carrying the bulk of the financial contribution? Can you say how important this is for Japan?

A: Let me answer the second part of your question first. This is one of the key elements of the bilateral relationship. We have the security and political aspect, the economic and trade aspect, and the third pillar is global cooperation which the Common Agenda is a very important part of. Cooperation on the Common Agenda is of course important for both Japan and the United States. But, also it is important for the entire international community since the Common Agenda deals with issues that have important implications for the entire international community. I think the importance of the Common Agenda should be viewed in those terms. With regard to specific figures -- how much the two countries are contributing to the implementation of the Common Agenda -- I do not have any written figures. I will have to get back to you on that.
Aid to the Republic of Yakutiya
Q: Maybe you can't answer this question now. I am interested in a Republic in the Far Eastern region of the Russian Federation, it is the Yakutiya Republic. Has Japan been granting any official development assistance to this Republic, or is it planning to grant some assistance to this Republic in the near future.

A: It is my understanding that we give assistance to the Russian Federation and the distribution of the Japanese support is something the Central Government of the Russian Federation has the final say in. That is how the system works.

Q: I have just heard that recently, maybe it is a rumor, that some private Japanese companies are engaged in some programs vis-ﾃ｡-vis the Yakutiya Republic. Maybe you can confirm this?

A: You are referring to the activities of private companies in the Russian Federation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not aware of this activity in the private sector. We will try to find out.
The Senkaku Islands
Q: You stated that there is no territorial dispute between China and Japan. Isn't there a dispute between China and Japan regarding the Senkaku Islands?

A: The Senkaku Islands have always been Japanese territory under the effective control of Japan, and therefore no territorial dispute exists between Japan and the People's Republic of China.
Takeshima Island
Q: Would that position be the same for Takeshima island?

A: Our position on Takeshima Island has been consistent and you are well aware of it. I will not repeat it here.
Cuts in funding for the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) by the United States of America
Q: Yesterday the U.S. Congress, both houses, voted to cut the funds for U.S. involvement in the nuclear projects in North Korea via KEDO. Is Japan aware of this? Are you concerned at all about the fact that the U.S. Administration is concerned about the cuts? And, are you concerned that this may in some way damage the agreement on nuclear cooperation?

A: I have not read those reports. This is a joint endeavor by Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States. It is important that the three countries cooperate closely and contribute to the success of the process.
Visit of Minister for Foreign Affairs Yukihiko Ikeda to Ukraine
Q: There were reports that the Foreign Minister of Japan is going to visit three East European countries after the Summit in Lyon. On of these countries is Ukraine. Can you share with us the information of the main purpose of the visit and the agenda?

A: Our position regarding Ukraine is that we wish to strengthen the bilateral ties between Japan and Ukraine and to extend support to the reform efforts that President Kuchma of Ukraine is now promoting. The bilateral ties between Japan and the Ukraine have been developing very smoothly, particularly since President Leonid Kuchma's visit to Japan last March. Since this will be the first visit ever by a Japanese Foreign Minister to Ukraine, we would like to give further impetus to the development of bilateral ties between the two countries through the visit of Minister for Foreign Affairs Yukihiko Ikeda.

Q: Is the foreign minister, during his meeting with Ukraine officials, going to discuss in any way the situation in Russia?

A: I think we are still working on the agenda. I don't have any information here regarding the possible agenda for his meetings in the Ukraine.

Q: Are there plans to sign some agreements with the Ukraine?

A: I am not aware of any plans. The main message that we wish to convey to the people of Ukraine at the time of this visit is that Japan intends to support Ukraine's reform efforts. That is the main focus of this visit. Thank you very much.

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