Press Conference by the Press Secretary 25 March 1997
- Press Conference Announcements
- NATO and the G-7
- Visit of the Dalai Lama to Taipei
- Military exercises by Taiwan
- Press Conference Announcements
- Visit of State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Masahiko Koumura to the Republic of Peru, the Republic of Cuba and the Dominican Republic
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hiroshi Hashimoto: State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Masahiko Koumura visited the Republic of Peru, the Republic of Cuba and the Dominican Republic as a special envoy of Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto in order to discuss cooperation toward bringing about an early and peaceful solution to the occupation of the Japanese Ambassador's Residence in Lima. In Peru, State Secretary Koumura and President Alberto Fujimori reaffirmed the agreement reached at the Toronto Summit Meeting to intensify efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution to this incident and secure the full release of all the hostages at the earliest possible time without yielding to terrorism. State Secretary Koumura requested that the dialogue be accelerated and received the full understanding of President Fujimori. In addition, we were able to confirm the support of both Cuba and the Dominican Republic regarding the issue of so-called "exit" and other issues toward reaching a peaceful resolution to this incident. We believe these visits were extremely significant in establishing an environment which will achieve an early and peaceful resolution to this situation. In Lima, on 22 March, in anticipation of the Easter holiday, both President Fujimori and Archbishop Cipriani remarked that now is the time for reflection. It is the earnest desire of the Government of Japan that both the Government of Peru and the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) trust the sincere mediating efforts of the Commission of Guarantors and work together to find a common ground as quickly as possible in order to reach an agreement.
- Meeting Between Vice-President Albert Gore of the United States and Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto
Spokesman Hashimoto: The visit of Vice President Albert Gore of the United States was a vital first step to build comprehensive and cooperative relations with the second Clinton Administration in the context of close, high-level talks such as the visit of Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in February, Secretary of the Treasury Robert Rubin and Secretary of Defense William Cohen in April, as well as the visit of Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto to the United States in April. The Government of Japan believes that Vice President Gore's visit has produced the following results to further promote the balanced and cooperative relationship between Japan and the United States under the second Clinton Administration. With regard to our bilateral relations, Vice President Gore reaffirmed that Japan is a key ally of the United States and its closest partner in the Asia- Pacific region. In particular, in regard to the Japan-U.S. Security Arrangements, Prime Minister Hashimoto and Vice President Gore agreed to encourage cooperation such as close consultations on the review of the Guidelines for Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation and on United States military structure in line with the Japan-U.S. Joint Declaration on Security issued last year. Furthermore, in regard to military bases in Okinawa, it was reaffirmed that this issue will continue to be addressed earnestly as one of the most important issues while respecting the feelings of the people of Okinawa. In addition to affirming that the economic relations between Japan and the United States are good, Vice President Gore stated that the United States supports and has high hopes for growth led by domestic demand, as well as for the economic structural reforms being advanced by the Hashimoto Administration. Vice President Gore's visit to Japan precedes a visit to the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Korea. There was an exchange of opinions about major issues of the Asia-Pacific region and it was reaffirmed that there would be close cooperation between Japan and the United States. Prime Minister Hashimoto and Vice President Gore agreed to further develop cooperation, beginning with the "Common Agenda," for an even better global society toward the 21st century. They also agreed to positively address the areas of environment, research and forecasting on global change, children's health and the clean-up of oil spills, and declared further bilateral cooperation in these fields.
- Visit of State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Masahiko Koumura to the Republic of Peru, the Republic of Cuba and the Dominican Republic
- NATO and the G-7
Q: Will you comment on the agreements reached by President Yeltsin and President Clinton agreement on the enlargement of NATO and the G-7 Summit?
Spokesman Hashimoto: On the enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Government of Japan understands that some fundamental issues remain between the NATO side and the Russian Federation side. However, there has been progress in that the Secretary General of NATO and the Russian Foreign Minister will continue negotiations on possible signing of the document which will stipulate cooperation between NATO and Russia. The Government of Japan hopes that a constructive relationship will be built between NATO and Russia, and that the process of enlargement of NATO will be carried out while contributing to peace and stability in Europe. In any case, the relationship between NATO and Russia is important not only for people of the European continent, but for the rest of the world. In this context, the Government of Japan is closely watching the process of the negotiations between NATO and Russia on the issue of enlargement of NATO.
As for Russia's involvement in the G-7 process, the G-7 has a long history and every year G-7 members have been discussing how to deepen the involvement of Russia in the G- 7 Summit. President William Clinton of the United States has made a statement on the upcoming Denver Summit related to Russian involvement in the G-7 Summit, and the Government of Japan understands that the statement was made in line with the discussions held at various levels among the G-7 countries, to date. We welcome the fact that Japan, as a G- 7 member, has very good cooperative relations with the Russian Federation on many subjects such as political matters, anti-terrorism, etc. We understand that there are still certain specific issues, especially economic issues such as financial and development issues, which should continue to be discussed by G-7 countries. When we talk about the future involvement of the Russian Federation in the G-7 Summit process, we sincerely hope that the Russian Federation will be able tackle the outstanding issues with each of the G-7 members. As far as Japan is concerned, it is hoped that we can strengthen our bilateral relationship with the Russian Federation by solving northern territorial issues. However, we do not intend to link northern territorial issues to possible full participation of the Russian Federation in the G-7 process.
- Visit of the Dalai Lama to Taipei
Q: Do you have any comment on the Dalai Lama's visit to Taipei?
Spokesman Hashimoto: I would like to bring your attention to three points. The Government of Japan sincerely hopes that the two parties across the Taiwan Strait will find a way to solve the issue of Taiwan peacefully. Secondly, we know that the Government of China feels uneasy about the Dalai Lama's visit to Taiwan, accusing him of being part of a separatist movement. Thirdly, Japan sincerely hopes that the Dalai Lama's visit to Taiwan will not negatively affect the relationship between the two parties.
- Military exercises by Taiwan
Q: Did the Taiwanese Authorities inform the Government of Japan that it will change the area in which military exercises are being carried out near Yonaguni Island?
Spokesman Hashimoto: When we came to know that the Taiwanese Authorities intended to engage in military exercises near Yonaguni Island, the people in this area were concerned about this. These concerns were related to the Taiwanese Authorities through our association. We have not been informed of the change of the site, but we understand that military exercises have so far not taken place in the declared area. For the time being, I believe the people of Yonaguni Island are not very concerned about these exercises.
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