Press Conference by the Press Secretary 18 February 1997

Press conference announcements
1. Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Singapore
  Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hiroshi Hashimoto: Minister for Foreign Affairs Yukihiko Ikeda attended the first Foreign Ministers' Meeting of the Asia-Europe Meeting in Singapore on 14 and 15 February. At the Foreign Ministers' Meeting, a review of the activities undertaken thus far was made and an exchange of views was held on the future of ASEM and political dialogue within ASEM regarding such issues as the occupation of the Japanese Ambassador's Residence in Peru, the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO), and the transport of radioactive waste from Taiwan to North Korea. There was also a discussion on preparations for the second ASEM Summit Meeting to be held in spring 1998. At this Foreign Ministers' Meeting, the Chairman's Statement on the Terrorist Act perpetuated at the Japanese Ambassador's Residence in Peru was adopted as the result of a proposal by Japan. The statement expressed solidarity with the Government of Peru and Japan in their efforts to resolve the situation in a peaceful manner, placing priority on saving the lives of all hostages, thus clarifying the broad-based support of the international community. Furthermore, Foreign Minister Ikeda had bilateral meetings and exchanged views with the foreign ministers of the People's Republic of China, the Republic of Korea, the Kingdom of Thailand, the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Italy, the French Republic, and the EU Troika.
2. Hostage situation in the Republic of Peru
  Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hiroshi Hashimoto: As part of the effort to follow-up on the third preliminary dialogue held on 15 February, the guarantors and the observer have begun work on the preparation of proposals for expediting the smooth continuation of preliminary dialogue with the understanding of the Government of the Republic of Peru and the representatives of the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA). The Government of Japan is offering positive advice and cooperation through Ambassador Terusuke Terada to the Commission of Guarantors. Ambassador Terada and the Emergency Response Headquarters of Japan in Lima are also doing their utmost to offer advice and cooperation to the Government of Peru. Japan will continue its efforts to secure the release of all the hostages through the continuation of this preliminary dialogue.
3. Detained citizens in the Republic of Lebanon
  Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hiroshi Hashimoto: Thirdly, the Government of the Republic of Lebanon informed the Government of Japan last week that the Lebanon authority had detained several citizens whom they believe to be Japanese. However, neither the Government of Japan nor the Government of Lebanon have confirmed whether or not those detained citizens are Japanese. The Japanese Embassy in Lebanon has been in contact with the Government of Lebanon since receiving this information from them. Those are the announcements that I wanted to make, and I will be delighted to respond to any questions that you might have.
Incident involving Hwang Jang Yop of North Korea
Q: In the Japanese newspapers this morning, it was reported that North Korea has said that it is their position that a traitor can go to any country. Can you say anything about what Foreign Minister Ikeda said to the foreign ministers in Singapore?

Spokesman Hashimoto: Minister for Foreign Affairs Yukihiko Ikeda had a chance to meet his counterparts from the Republic of Korea and the People's Republic of China in Singapore. Foreign Minister Ikeda was fully briefed by those two gentlemen on the developments related to this incident. We have noted the announcement made by the North Korean Authority on this issue. The Government of Japan is now carefully watching the situation. At the same time, we fully understand that both the Republic of Korea and People's Republic of China are very carefully handling this matter. We are following the situation through the exchange of information and views with these two governments.

Q: Is the Government of Japan receiving any cooperation from the Republic of Korea regarding this defection?

Spokesman Hashimoto: For the time being, we have not received any request of concrete cooperation from the Government of the Republic of Korea and we are simply exchanging information with them.
Food aid to North Korea
Q: Despite the defection by Mr. Hwang, will the Japanese respond to requests by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) for food aid to North Korea?

Spokesman Hashimoto: We have received an appeal from the United Nations World Food Program (WFP). Furthermore, we understand that the United Nations Department of Human Affairs (DHA) is also going to deal with this issue. However, the DHA has not decided when it will send its missions to North Korea, or whether it will issue an emergency appeal or some other type of appeal to the international community. Therefore, Japan will first of all study the content of the emergency appeal made by the WFP. At the same time, we will carefully watch the progress of DHA activities in regard to this issue. On the basis of this progress, we will make a final decision on further action.

Q: So, you would not tie this issue to the defection of Mr. Hwang?

Spokesman Hashimoto: As far as the incident involving Mr. Hwang is concerned, we do not yet know what affect this will have on various matters. I must refrain from making a definitive comment on this. If you are talking about a specific appeal from the DHA and the WFP, we will first of all study the content of the WFP appeal and wait until the DHA decides what to do about this.
Future developments regarding the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO)
Q: Will the scheduled Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) meeting go on as planned despite this incident in Beijing with Mr. Hwang? Also, the Government of Japan has been saying that it has been having unofficial meetings with North Korean officials to try and establish normalization of talks, did any meetings happen after Mr. Hwang's defection?

Spokesman Hashimoto: First of all, regarding the possible influence on the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) matters, Minister of Foreign Affairs Yoo Chong Ha of the Republic of Korea informed Foreign Minister Ikeda in Singapore that the incident involving Mr. Hwang will not effect the Four-party Talks or KEDO. Foreign Minister Ikeda was grateful for the evaluations of Foreign Minister Yoo Chong Ha on this. As far Japan's policy toward KEDO is concerned, we will refrain from making a comment on whether the incident involving Mr. Hwang will actually influence KEDO activities. However, we have been actively participating in the activities of KEDO, and we will be watching carefully what the effects will be from the incident involving Mr. Hwang.
Japan's position on the incident involving Hwang Jang Yop of North Korea
Q: What role can Japan play in this case of the defection of Mr. Hwang?

Spokesman Hashimoto: Japan is not involved as a direct party in this situation. We are very concerned and interested in the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula. With this in mind, we are carefully watching the situation, and we are very grateful for the information given by the Republic of Korea and the People's Republic of China. At the same time, we share the fundamental position of the two governments that this issue should be handled with maximum restraint.

Q: Why was Mr. Hwang unable to defect during his 10-day trip in Tokyo?

Spokesman Hashimoto: While he was staying in Japan, we did not know about his decision to defect. Secondly, he never expressed his will to defect, so we were unaware of his desire to do so.

Q: In Singapore, when Foreign Minister Ikeda met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Qian Qichen of the People's Republic of China, he emphasized that Mr. Hwang's defection should be handled under international rules. I feel that this means that Mr. Hwang should be able to choose to go to the country of his choice. May I have your opinion on this?

Spokesman Hashimoto: Foreign Minister Ikeda spoke very generally, and he did not specifically say what was on his mind when he said that this matter should be handled under established international rules. I cannot speculate regarding what he meant to say. However, we are pleased to know that the two countries are dealing with this matter with maximum restraint.
Repercussions from the incident involving Hwang Jang Yop of North Korea
Q: Are you suggesting that Mr. Hwang's information about what he could tell the world could cause Japan, the United States, or the Republic of Korea to rethink their strategy in dealing with North Korea?

Spokesman Hashimoto: The reason I say that the Government of Japan refrains from making a comment on this issue is that, first of all, issues related to the Korean Peninsula should be primarily handled with the parties directly involved. Secondly, Japan is very concerned about the peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. Therefore, when the situation is unclear we do not wish to make even preliminary comments on this.

Rather, we are carefully watching the current situation. We do not know where Mr. Hwang will be settled, what he will reveal about the present situation in North Korea, or what the future of the North Korean regime will be, etc. Therefore, we simply cannot give you a definitive comment.

Q: Is his inside information, however, something that will cause Tokyo or Washington to rethink -- Is that where your uncertainty is?

Spokesman Hashimoto: First of all, we do not know if Mr. Hwang would like to directly inform Japan of the situation in North Korea. So far, we have not received any information of this sort from Mr. Hwang.

Q: Has he communicated directly with the United States or China?

Spokesman Hashimoto: We are not in a position to confirm that, nor are we in a position to confirm that with respect to any country.

Q: Is it fair to say that North Korean activities in which Japan is interested, for example, KEDO, the missing girl in Niigata, normalization of relations, food aid, etc., are all frozen till the Hwang situation is resolved?

Spokesman Hashimoto: In Singapore, Foreign Minister Yoo Chong Ha told Foreign Minister Ikeda that according to his understanding, the incident involving Mr. Hwang would not affect KEDO activities or Four-party Talks. As far as the emergency appeal from the WFP is concerned, Japan is going to study the content. However, we will not be able to decide what to do until we know at least the possible future actions of the DHA. So, while we study the content of the WFP emergency appeal, we will wait to see what the DHA will do. Therefore, at this point, it is a bit premature for you to speculate about what the effects will be from the incident involving Mr. Hwang.

Q: What about the possible re-establishment of diplomatic ties or discussing the fate of the young girl in Niigata?

Spokesman Hashimoto: Recently, we have had the information on the young girl, but we do not know whether that information is based on truth or not. Therefore, the Government of Japan, notably the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Police Agency, is trying to gather information related to this. Therefore, we do not know whether the incident involving Mr. Hwang is actually related to the possible kidnapping case of the girl.
Status of the incident involving a missing girl in Niigata
Q: How has Japan's relations with Pyongyang changed since this incident? There have been inquiries about, for example, the suspected kidnapping of the girl in Niigata. What is the status of that? Have things been put on hold?

Spokesman Hashimoto: Our formal talks with the North Korean Authority over normalization of relations with Japan and North Korea stopped a long time ago. We do not announce whether we have been making informal contact with North Korean Authority since the last formal talks. As far as the possible kidnapping of the girl is concerned, the Government is trying to gather information related to this case and we will continue to do so. In any case, we do not have diplomatic relations with North Korea. Therefore, we simply do not want to make any comments as to whether the incident involving Mr. Hwang is going to affect various issues such as the normalization of talks between Japan and North Korea or Four-party Talks.

Q: Informally, has there been any additional information or any willingness from the North Korean side to engage you on what might have happened to the young woman who was missing?

Spokesman Hashimoto: I do not believe we have received any significant information.
Australian membership in the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM)
Q: At the ASEM meeting in Singapore, was there any progress made in Japanese efforts to get Australian membership into this Forum.

Spokesman Hashimoto: The Japanese supported the applications of four countries: Australia, New Zealand, the Republic of India, and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. We welcome the early participation of these four countries in ASEM. However, it was decided at the ASEM Meeting in Singapore to study the criteria for participation at the Senior Officials Meeting (SOM). Therefore, Japan will also participate when the issue of participation is discussed in the next SOM Meeting. But at the same time, we will continue to tell our colleagues that these four countries should participate in ASEM in the near future. However, this does not mean that the four countries will definitely be participating in the next ASEM Meeting.

Q: At the ASEM Meeting, can you confirm reports that Malaysia's Dr. Mahathir said that he does not want Australia or anybody else to participate?

Spokesman Hashimoto: We cannot confirm that. From the report of the Meeting, the participation issue was discussed in a positive way. Many countries supported early participation of several countries, including Australia, but they could not get a consensus on this issue. However, they asked the SOM to get a consensus on this, so I believe this is a positive sign.
Detention of citizens in the Republic of Lebanon
Q: What is your opinion on the detention of the citizens in Lebanon?

Spokesman Hashimoto: We are now contacting the Government of Lebanon and we do not know whether or not the detained citizens are Japanese or members of the Japanese Red Army. If some of them are confirmed to be members of the Japanese Red Army this would be very good news for us. However, we have not been informed about this. For the time being, the Government of Japan has been seeking custody of these individuals and looking to see if the Government of Lebanon finds that some of these individuals are members of the Japanese Red Army or have breached Japanese laws and regulations.

Q: If confirmation is received, is the Government of Japan ready to quickly extradite these suspects back to Japan?

Spokesman Hashimoto: We must consult with the Government of Lebanon, but fundamentally we have asked for custody of these individuals. We must clear all legal channels, but we would like to put these individuals on trial in Japan.
Status of food shortages in North Korea
Q: What information does Japan have on the extent of starvation in North Korea?

Spokesman Hashimoto: We understand that the economic situation remains very difficult in North Korea, and that the country is suffering from a shortage of food. However, we do not know to what extent they are suffering. The United Nations organizations such as the DHA and other organizations have been studying the situation in North Korea and we are waiting for their analyses of the situation.

Q: Do you recognize that there is a food shortage in North Korea?

Spokesman Hashimoto: We do not know to what extent that they suffer from a shortage of food. Their economy continues to be bad. We understand that they face a shortage of food, but we do not know how serious it is yet. The Government of Japan does not intend to extend economic cooperation to North Korea prior to reopening formal talks on normalization between the two countries. As far as emergency aid is concerned, we have just received an emergency appeal from the WFP and we will study the content of this appeal and assess whether or not the WFP report reflects the reality of the situation. At the same time, we are waiting on a decision by the DHA regarding this issue.
Japanese currency flow to North Korea
Q: A large part of the external funds that come into North Korea come from Japan, for example, money from "pachinko" businesses and other businesses run by North Koreans in Japan. Is there is any Government attempt to formally or informally keep track of how much money goes to North Korea?

Spokesman Hashimoto: When the United Nations Security Council was going to adopt possible economic sanctions, the Government of Japan studied transactions that were made on a commercial basis. These are not accurately traced by the Government of Japan. So, we have fundamental difficulties in tracing specific direct or indirect transfers of money from Japan to North Korea.

Q: Is this a major concern of the Government of Japan?

Spokesman Hashimoto: According to Japanese law and order, these kinds of commercial transactions can be carried out. Therefore, it is a bit difficult for us to say whether or not we should be concerned about this. In the case of Japan, if business is carried out in accordance with the law, the Government cannot make judgements on whether the activities are good or bad.
North Korea's "Juche" ideology
Q: Has the Government of Japan noticed any changes in North Korea's "Juche" ideology within the past year? Has the policy changed in any perceptible way?

Spokesman Hashimoto: The Government of Japan has not noted any big change in the North Korean "Juche" ideology.
Health reports on Paramount Leader Deng Xiaoping of the People's Republic of China
Q: Has the Government of Japan been informed by China of the health problems of Deng Xiaoping?

Spokesman Hashimoto: Apart from reports from the press, we do not know anything further. Thank you very much.

Back to Index