Press Conference by the Press Secretary 4 March 1997

Press conference announcements
1. Hostage crisis in Peru
  Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hiroshi Hashimoto: We understand that, in order to reach a final peaceful solution to this incident, one of the most important options available is for the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) members occupying the Japanese Ambassador's Residence in Lima to go to a third country. At his own initiative, President Alberto Fujimori of the Republic of Peru visited the Republic of Cuba and discussed this point with President of the Council of State Fidel Castro, and Japan highly commends these efforts on the part of President Fujimori. Carefully watching what kind of influence this will have on the MRTA side in the preliminary dialogue, Japan intends to continue to provide its full cooperation to the efforts of President Fujimori.
2. Situation Regarding Individuals Arrested in the Republic of Lebanon
  Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hiroshi Hashimoto: On 3 March (Lebanon time), Head of the Cabinet Councillor's Office on External Affairs Hiroshi Hirabayashi of the Prime Minister's Office delivered a message from Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto to President Ilas Hirawi of the Republic of Lebanon and held discussions with President Hirawi regarding the matter of the individuals alleged to have violated Japanese law and believed to be members of the Japanese Red Army. President Hirawi issued personal instructions that this matter be solved in a manner which is transparent and can be explained to other nations, and stated that he intended to properly handle this matter and to clarify the situation in order to uphold the honor of Lebanon and in the interest of good will between Lebanon and Japan. On the same day, Mr. Hirabayashi met with Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and explained the serious interest the Government of Japan has in this issue. Prime Minister Hariri responded by stating that appropriate measures would be taken in accordance with the law of Lebanon, international law and international practices. After a meeting with Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Faris Bouez on 3 March, Mr. Hirabayashi stated to the press that the suspects might be identified within 24 hours.
3. Meeting between Japanese and United States Transport Officials
  Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hiroshi Hashimoto: On 3 March, a meeting took place among Japanese and United States transport officials in Washington, D.C. At that meeting, the Japanese side handed over a letter from Minister of Transport Makoto Koga to Secretary of Transportation Rodney Slater requesting the withdrawal of the 26 February decision of the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission. Furthermore, the Japanese side explained to the U.S. side that discussions had taken place among concerned parties under the auspices of the Ministry of Transport, with port transport company groups and representatives of Japanese and foreign shipping companies present, with a view to improving the practice of prior consultations, which has been a cause of concern between Japan and the United States. Japan also explained that it would continue to make its utmost efforts toward solving this issue. To this, the United States side responded that the imposition of sanctions was not the objective of the series of responses taken by the United States, and that moreover, the objective was to solve the problems of port transport in Japan. The United States side also stated that it intends to carefully watch developments under the Ministry of Transport on the Japanese side, and that they would urge United States companies to cooperate toward realizing a solution. The meeting closed with Japan and the United States agreeing to continue discussions toward reaching the goal of settlement.
Lebanese extradition laws
Q: There seems to be some confusion in the press about the Lebanese extradition law. Are you expecting normal extradition, which has been reported to take up to ten years, to be waved in this case?

Spokesman Hashimoto: First of all, the Government of Japan would like to wait and see whether the suspects will be identified within 24 hours. At the same time, after the identifications, the Lebanese side will tell us what procedures the Government of Lebanon may take in this situation. On the basis of this, the Japanese side intends to continue consultations with the Lebanese side. At this moment, without knowledge of the details of the legal requirements in Lebanon, we do not want to hypothesize. Therefore, we will wait for an answer from Lebanon within the next 24 hours. On the basis of this, if it is necessary, we will continue consultations with the Lebanese Authorities.
Statute of limitations for Japanese laws
Q: Specifically, for some of the crimes that the Japanese Red Army is accused of, has the statute of limitations run out? Some of the crimes were supposedly committed 20 years ago. Are all of the individuals held in custody able to be prosecuted in Japan?

Spokesman Hashimoto: If these individuals are identified as members of the Japanese Red Army and are individuals whom the Government of Japan has been asking relevant governments to pursue, yes, we can still prosecute these individuals in accordance with Japanese laws and regulations. However, first of all, we would like to know whether the suspects in Lebanon can be identified as members of the Japanese Red Army.
Theater Missile Defense (TMD)
Q: Regarding the Theater Missile Defense (TMD) issue, has there been any informal remarks to the Foreign Ministry, or informal press reports, etc., expressing concern, or has any kind of pressure been put on Japan not to participate?

Spokesman Hashimoto: Last year, after President William Clinton of the United States visited Japan, the People's Republic of China started to voice some concern about our defense policy. Without specifically mentioning what it is, they simply say that the Japan-U.S. security alliance should be kept within the context of the bilateral relations between Japan and the United States and should not target any other third party. In light of these concerns expressed by the Government China, both the Government of Japan and the Clinton Administration explained as clearly as possible to the Chinese side that the functions of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty will not change at all, and will not target any particular third party. Furthermore, the Joint Declaration on Security issued by Japan and the United States when President Clinton visited Japan does not intend to single out or target China. The Government of Japan understands that the Chinese side has begun to modify its previous stance, and currently does not specifically say that the Japan-U.S. Security alliance targets China. On the contrary, in his recent address to the Congress, Prime Minister Li Peng of the People's Republic of China expressed the willingness of the Chinese side to improve Japan-China relations. We do not know specifically the positions of the Government of China on the TMD, but we hope that the Chinese side does not misunderstand our intentions regarding research on the TMD.
Increase in the defense budget of the People's Republic of China
Q: China intends to increase its defense budget by about ten percent. What is the reaction of Japan to this?

Spokesman Hashimoto: According to the announced budget on defense, it would increase by 15 percent in comparison to the previous year. However, if you look at the defense budget as a percentage of the GDP of China, the rate of increase in the defense budget has not changed over the past several years. Therefore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not particularly concerned about this increase in the defense budget. However, at the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Government of Japan have been asking the Chinese side to increase the transparency of the defense policy of China through deepening dialogue on a bilateral basis or in a multilateral forum such as the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), and we will continue to do so. At the same time, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that Prime Minister Li Peng specifically said that development of China would not become a threat to any other country. This was the first time a Chinese leader explicitly talked about this. The Government of Japan does not make an official assessment to this part of the statement. However, it may indicate that the Chinese leaders are more sensitive about the reactions of China's neighbors on this subject. Therefore, we will continue dialogue with the Government of China on defense policy in order to realize more and more transparency in the defense policy of China in the future.

Q: Are they having talks within Japan pursuing the reviewing of the five-year defense build- up, and will this have any impact on Japanese defense plans?

Spokesman Hashimoto: I understand that very recently, Japan's Vice Minister of the Defense Agency said that the Agency will carefully watch the trend of the defense budget in China. Apart from that, we do not know what the attitude is of Japan's Defense Agency on this issue. In any case, the Government of Japan has noted Prime Minister Li Peng's statement in which the Government of China showed its willingness to improve relations with Japan. So, what the Government of Japan should do is to continue dialogue with the Government of China on the issue of heightened transparency of the Chinese defense policy.

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