Press Conference by the Press Secretary 13 September 1996

Announcements to the Press
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ken Shimanouchi: Good Afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the regular Ministry of Foreign Affairs press conference. First of all, I would like to apologize for the half-hour delay in starting this press conference. We had some doubts about the availability of this room at 14:00. That is why we sent out faxes informing you that the press conference would start at 14:30 instead of 14:00. Some of you may have not seen the fax. I would like to extend my special apologies to those people who did get to see the fax. I have two announcements before I take your questions.
1. Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiroku Kajiyama regarding antidumping petition lodged with the United States International Trade Commission (ITC)
  Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ken Shimanouchi: My first announcement concerns the preliminary determination by the United States International Trade Commission regarding the antidumping petition by Cray Research, Inc. I would like to read the comment made by the Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiroku Kajiyama yesterday. The English translation is in front of you, I believe. "I understand that, concerning the antidumping petition of Cray Research, Inc. charging NEC Corporation with underpricing supercomputers, the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) made an affirmative determination in its preliminary antidumping investigation on imports of vector supercomputers from Japan. With regard to the procurement of supercomputers by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), judging from the way the United States Government has dealt with this procurement, the Government of Japan cannot but have the impression that the United States handling of this procurement has been non-transparent. Thus, the Government of Japan strongly requests that the United States Government handle the antidumping case in a fair, transparent manner. Japan will continue to closely watch how the antidumping case will be handled by the ITC and Department of Commerce." That is my first announcement.
2. Meeting between Minister for Foreign Affairs Yukihiko Ikeda and Chairman of the Palestinian Interim Self- Government Yasser Arafat
  Q: So far, any mutual understanding reached between the Beijing Government and the Japanese Government on the Senkaku Islands. By what means do you communicate?
  
  Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ken Shimanouchi: Next, I would like to give you a readout of two important meetings that Chairman of the Palestinian Interim Self-Government Yasser Arafat had during his stay in Japan: the meeting with Minister for Foreign Affairs Yukihiko Ikeda the day before yesterday, and the meeting with Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto yesterday. As you are well aware, Foreign Minister Ikeda was in the Middle East in late August. During his trip, he had a chance to visit Gaza, where he had a meeting with Chairman Arafat. In the meeting held on 11 September, the two assessed developments subsequent to the August meeting. They also talked about Japanese support to the Palestinians and to the Middle East peace process. On the Middle East peace process, Foreign Minister Ikeda summarized for the Chairman the discussion he had with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the State of Israel. The meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu was held on 26 August, and the meeting with Chairman Arafat was held the night before. That is why Foreign Minister Ikeda gave Chairman Arafat a briefing on his meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu. He explained to the Chairman what he had said to the Prime Minister, which was that Israel needs to put forward concrete policies in order to achieve progress in the Middle East peace process -- that it was important for Israel to refrain from actions that are not consistent with the spirit of the peace process. In this context, he referred to the issue of settlements. In response, Chairman Arafat briefed the Foreign Minister on his recent discussions with Prime Minister Netanyahu. Chairman Arafat said that the process had started, but that no progress in substantive terms had been achieved yet. He said that Palestinians continue to suffer as a result of the closure of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. He explained in detail the very difficult situation now in the Gaza Strip and other Self-Government areas. He said that if the current situation is left as it is, the atmosphere in the whole Arab world would be affected. Foreign Minister Ikeda, in response, said that although he would like to see action taken by the Israeli side on the Palestinian track, at the same time, he hoped that Chairman Arafat would approach his negotiations with Israel with patience. Foreign Minister Ikeda also outlined to the Chairman the economic cooperation projects that Japan was currently considering for the Palestinians. He said that Japan is now considering the possibility of extending grant assistance to provide equipment for a road construction project in the Gaza Strip. He said that in view of the suffering of the Palestinians caused by the closure, that Japan would like to implement, as soon as possible, emergency assistance. I will come back to that later. He also said that Japan would be sending a survey mission to consider the possibility of extending a grant in aid in the area of increasing food production. With regard to technical cooperation, he said that Japan, from here on, would be receiving Palestinian trainees directly, not through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as in the past. He said that from next year, Japan expected to receive about 120 Palestinian trainees. He also said that Japan would be starting a cultural grant program for the Palestinians. He said that Japan has decided to extend a US$450,000 grant for the purchase of musical instruments and other related equipment. That is the gist of the meeting between Foreign Minister Ikeda and Chairman Arafat.
3. Meeting between Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and Chairman of the Palestinian Interim Self-Government Yasser Arafat
  Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ken Shimanouchi: Now let me give you in a nutshell what was discussed between Chairman Arafat and Prime Minister Hashimoto yesterday. The Chairman described to the Prime Minister the dire situation of the Palestinians. He expressed his hope that Japan would make efforts to keep the Palestinian track and the whole Middle East Peace process on track, adding that this was of great importance in view of Japan's international role. Prime Minister Hashimoto said to the Chairman that he recognized the importance of the Palestinian track, and said that Japan would continue to do everything in its power to support the Middle East peace process. He said that, as a part of these efforts, Japan has decided to extend emergency assistance to the Palestinians. This is the emergency assistance that I referred to in the context of Foreign Minister Ikeda's discussion with Chairman Arafat. This is a US$3 million grant aid project. The funds will be channeled through the UNDP, and will be used for improving the infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. It is hoped that this assistance will be used to improve the living conditions of the Palestinians and to create employment in the Gaza Strip.
4. Position of Japan on the possibility of an independent Palestinian state
  Spokesman Ken Shimanouchi: That is all, but before I take your questions, I would like to answer a questions that Mr. Mansour Alazm asked in Tuesday's press conference about the Japanese position on the possibility of an independent Palestinian state. Our position on this is as follows. With regard to the future of the Self-Government areas, we believe that this is something to be dealt with in the final status negotiations. Japan is hopeful that agreement will be achieved between the parties. Japan believes that the legitimate rights of the Palestinians, including the right to self-rule, should be respected. I hope that answers your question, Mr. Alazm. Those are the announcements that I wanted to make, and I will be delighted to respond to any questions that you might have.
The basic position of the Government of Japan on the Senkaku Islands
Q: Regarding the Senkaku Islands, do you think that the Government will grant permission for the establishment of the lighthouse?

A: Before I answer your question, let me reiterate to you Japan's basic position on this question. On 11 September, Ambassador Xu Dunxin of the People's Republic of China visited Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Sadayuki Hayashi to convey the Chinese position on this issue. Let me explain what Vice-Minister Hayashi said in response to this, because this summarizes the Japanese position on this issue. Vice-Minister Hayashi said that Japan has repeatedly made it clear that the Senkaku Islands are an integral part of Japan. Secondly, the Government of Japan is not involved in the activities of the private group, nor do we give it support. Thirdly, Japan attaches importance to friendly ties with China. We believe that it is necessary for both sides to approach this matter calmly, so as not to affect the bilateral relationship. Now, with regard to your question, on 10 September, the private group submitted a request for authorization for the lighthouse. The Japanese position on the Senkaku Islands is as I have stated to you. Over the years, we have made it clear that the Senkakus are an integral part of Japanese territory. On this question of the lighthouse, the Government of Japan will be carefully considering how to approach this issue on the basis of this basic Japanese position.
Contributions by Japan to the Middle East peace process
Q: Going back to Mr. Arafat's visit, also in his press conference, Mr. Arafat emphasized the important position of Japan in the global community, and you said that Japan wants do anything to keep these negotiations going on. Is Japan thinking about any concrete steps to take regarding the Middle East?

A: In the Middle East, we have been taking concrete steps.

Q: Yes, apart from the aid to the Palestinians.

A: Our contributions to the Middle East peace process go way beyond that. It is our policy to make the dividends of peace tangible to everyone in the region. In order to do this, firstly, we extend assistance the parties of the process -- not just the Palestinians -- but to the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and to the Syrian Arab Republic. That is one point. Also, we participate in the multilateral track. As you may be aware, we chair the Environmental Working Group of the multilateral track, and a lot has been achieved on this tack. We also chair the Tourism Workshop of the Economic Development Sub- group of the multilateral track. We also participate actively in the North Africa-Middle East Summit. When Foreign Minister Ikeda was in the Middle East, he expressed his support for the upcoming Summit in Cairo. It is scheduled for November, I believe. Our contributions do not stop there. We make contributions in terms of personnel. As you know, we have men from the Self Defense Forces participating in the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Golan Heights. They are in the Golan Heights right now. We will continue to make contributions, in keeping with this policy.

Q: I know Japan does a lot on the Arab side. Is Japan also considering, for instance, if Israel takes a more positive attitude again? I wonder if Japan might give more assistance or support or direct investment to Israel?

A: I do not think that Israel has ever requested economic assistance from Japan. As you know, the per-capita income of Israel is US$16,000. It is comparable to many countries in Europe.

Q: But a country like Kuwait also gets assistance from Japan, which also has a --.

A: We do not extend financial assistance to countries with high per-capita incomes. What Israel is hoping for is more business with Japan -- more investments from Japanese companies in Israel. There has been growing interest among the Japanese business sector about doing business in Israel. The Foreign Minister said to the Israeli side that further progress in the Middle East peace process would be conducive to more Japanese private investment in Israel.

Q: The Government might officially support their investment if Israel --?

A: The Government of Japan does not support or discourage investment by the private sector. Japan is a free-market economy. It is purely a private-sector decision. In some cases, particularly in developing countries, Japan gives assistance in the area of, for example, infrastructure, in order to improve the environment for investment. But, government involvement and participation stops there. Have I answered your question?

Q: Yes, thank you.
Further elaboration on the basic position of the Government of Japan on the Senkaku Islands
Q: Regarding the Senkaku Islands, today's Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported that a Foreign Ministry official asked the Maritime Safety Agency to take caution in giving approval for this lighthouse in the Senkaku Islands. Is this true? And, in connection to this, is the Foreign Minister asking the Prime Minister or asking the Central Government to take concerted action to solve the dispute?

A: I think I have already answered that question, but I will repeat it. The Government of Japan will be carefully considering how to deal with this matter of the lighthouse, on the basis of our position regarding the Senkaku Islands.

Q: I think the question she is asking is that today's Nihon Keizai Shimbun says that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has talked to the Maritime Safety Agency about the lighthouse, and hinted that, due to the diplomatic pressure from China and Taiwan, the Japanese Foreign Ministry does not want the Maritime Safety Agency to give approval for the lighthouse as a formal one.

A: I know what you are talking about.

Q: Can you confirm this information, then?

A: I am not going into the details of internal discussions among Government agencies, but the position of the Government of Japan is that we will be considering how to approach this matter carefully, in light of Japan's basic stance on this issue.

Q: That means that diplomatic considerations do play a role in your decision making, then?

A: It means that the Government of Japan will be considering this issue carefully, internally, in light of Japan's basic stance regarding the Senkaku Islands.

Q: So, internally, meaning that regardless of this anti- Japanese sentiment growing in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, decision making regarding the lighthouse will not be effected by any pressures?

A: I did not say that. You are trying to put words in my mouth. I did not say that.

Q: You said internal.

A: Internal discussions means discussions among ourselves, officials of the Government of Japan. I think it would be ill-advised to try and read between the lines, because there is nothing between the lines. I would like to say that we are of course concerned about developments in Taiwan, mainland China, and Hong Kong. We are mindful of this.

Q: So, that would be part of your decision making?

A: With regard to this issue of the lighthouse -- what to do with this application made by this private group -- I will have to repeat what I have already said. We will be considering how to approach this matter carefully, on the basis of our basic stance on the Senkaku Islands, which I believe you are well aware of.

Q: There was also a report this morning that China has established a study group within its military about this island issue. Is Japan planning to do anything about this?

A: We see quite a few media reports regarding this issue. I am not going to comment on each and every one of these reports. Thank you very much.

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