Press Conference by the Press Secretary May 20, 1997

Press conference announcement
1. Situation in Zaire
  Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hiroshi Hashimoto: I believe that my colleague has already distributed the statement by Minister for Foreign Affairs Yukihiko Ikeda on the taking of Kinshasa by the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire (ADFL).
2. Situation in the Senkaku Islands
  Spokesman Hashimoto: I have one statement on the Senkaku Islands. It has been reported that citizens from Hong Kong and Taiwan plan to engage in illegal activities within the territorial waters of the Senkaku Islands toward the end of May. Such illegal activities violate Japanese law, and this will hardly contribute to furthering the relationship between Japan and Taiwan or Japan and Hong Kong. Japan once again requests that the relevant parties behind this plan respond calmly to the series of events involving the Senkaku Islands and, in particular, requests that these plans are not implemented. If Japan's request is ignored and the parties involved attempt to land illegally or engage in illegal activities, Japan will take appropriate measures to prevent these actions in accordance with the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law.
Japanese wives in North Korea
Q: Recently the North Korean Government has expressed its will to let Japanese wives who reside in North Korea visit Japan. I would like to know the Japanese Foreign Ministry stance on this. Also, one of the Japanese papers reported that the Japanese Foreign Ministry would upgrade its contact point.

Spokesman Hashimoto: First of all, regarding our informal contact with North Korean authorities, you are aware that several times in the past I answered similar questions, stating that the Government of Japan is not in a position to make a comment on these informal contacts. Therefore, I must repeat the same position of the Government of Japan. As for the visit of the Japanese wives who are residing in North Korea, the Government of Japan has been asking North Korea to let, from a humanitarian point of view, the Japanese wives who are married to North Korean nationals and living in North Korea visit their old homes in Japan. When we had a series of talks regarding normalization with the North Korean authorities, we raised this issue. Unfortunately, the North Korean side did not respond to us favorably, stating that a good atmosphere for solving this issue had not been brought about. The Government of Japan considers this issue very important from a humanitarian point of view. I would just like to remind you that, while we held talks on normalization with the North Korean authorities, we provided a list of Japanese wives who actually would like to visit their old homes in Japan. Recalling that, we will continue our efforts to let the North Korean authorities respond to our request.

Q: When you approach North Korea with this issue, will you continue raising the issue of allowing the Japanese wives -- all 1,800 of them -- to visit Japan? Will you seek to let them all visit Japan at one time, or will they only be allowed to visit in smaller groups?

Spokesman Hashimoto: In general terms, the custom of Japan is for wives who have left their old homes to come back to Japan to see their families, their parents, sisters, etc., if they wish to do so; the Government of Japan believes that it is very important to let those individuals have that chance. In general terms, we hope that the Japanese wives who want to visit their old homes in Japan have the opportunity to do so. However, while we were holding the normalization talks with the North Korean authorities, we did not know whether or not all of these Japanese wives really wanted to visit their old homes. So, what I can tell you is that in general terms, those Japanese women who really wish to visit Japan and their old homes should be permitted to do so from a humanitarian viewpoint.
Investment in the South Asia region
Q: There is a feeling in our region, the South Asia region, that Japan has been concentrating its investment in East Asian countries only and it is neglecting South Asian countries. Would you like to comment on this?

Spokesman Hashimoto: Last week, when I held a press conference for Japanese journalists, I provided an explanation to them about the South Asia Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) Summit Meeting that was held at the beginning of this month. I said that the South Asia region has been providing an enormous potential market for us. The United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Republic of Korea, and other East Asian nations have been showing a great interest in the region. However, it seems that Japan is far behind those countries, and I particularly asked the journalists to draw the attention of the Japanese people to your region. This means that in comparison with Southeast Asia, South Asia is a relatively unknown region for us. Therefore, Japanese people still do not know much about the region. Another point is that for us, data or information on the so-called investment environment has not been available for potential Japanese investors. Apart from that, Japanese business people every now and then tell Japan that the region lacks a top level of industrial or economic infrastructure. There are some troubles with the procedures of investing or exporting from Japan to the region, etc. Probably, those reasons are still what Japanese private investors think about. But as far as the Government of Japan is concerned, we have been locating -- as I told you at the outset in my statement -- a big potential in the market in your region. Therefore, we would like to ask Japanese business people to be more interested in your region and invest more in the future. And not related to Nepal unfortunately, at the end of May the Government of Japan will send an economic mission to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, and we hope that this will provide another opportunity for Japanese business people to familiarize themselves with the environment for future investment in the region, so that Japanese business people will become more and more interested not only in Sri Lanka but in the other South Asian countries, including Nepal.
Economic mission to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Q: Would you tell me the composition of the delegation that will go to Sri Lanka?

Spokesman Hashimoto: The head of the economic mission is Mr. Tokihiko Kito of Itochu Corporation. Later on, we will provide you with a list of the members of the mission if you like. Mr. Kito is an Advisor to Itochu Corporation.

Q: What is the total amount of investment that you have in mind?

Spokesman Hashimoto: This mission is not directly related to commercial talks between Mr. Kito and his counterpart. This is a mission to participate in the regular economic meeting between the two countries. This will be already the eleventh meeting between the two countries to be held at the end of this month. The mission intends to meet with the business people in Sri Lanka and the Government officials of Sri Lanka. At the same time, they will investigate the possibility of the strengthening of economic ties, including the possibility of investment from Japan to Sri Lanka. On the basis of the visit, they will prepare a report to be given to both Japan and the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.

Q: Was this a proposal made by the Sri Lankan President?

Spokesman Hashimoto: Once already, ten times in the past, a meeting between the two countries was held. I am not sure to what extent this particular mission will respond to a call by the urging of your President. But Japan and Sri Lanka have enjoyed a very good relationship, and the contacts between people have been strengthened. Therefore, I am sure that the members of the economic mission are aware of what your president talked about during his visit to Japan.
Japan-Republic of Turkey relations
Q: In what ways does Japan value Japan-Turkey relations?

Spokesman Hashimoto: Japan and the Republic of Turkey have long-standing friendly relations, which are steadily progressing in all areas. You may recall that in May 1996, one year ago, Minister for Foreign Affairs Yukihiko Ikeda visited Turkey and met with your President and several important people. It is our hope that we will continue to develop our close ties in the future as well. In regard to the business relations between Japan and Turkey, I would like to remind you that major Japanese corporations, such as Toyota Motor Corporation, Honda Motor Company, and Bridgestone Corporation, have made direct investments in Turkey and are enjoying excellent results. Approximately ten years have passed since the establishment of the Japan-Turkey Economic Committee of the Japan Federation of Economic Organizations (Keidanren), and the cooperative relations between the Japanese industrial sector and the Turkish industrial sector have become well-established. It is our expectation that Japan-Turkey cooperation in the economic sphere will progress in the future.
Japan-People's Republic of Bangladesh relations
Q: How do you assess the relationship between Bangladesh and Japan?

Spokesman Hashimoto: We highly regard the relationship with the People's Republic of Bangladesh. We have been extending economic cooperation to Bangladesh to assist its national economy. We hope that not only the Government, but also Japanese private investors will be more and more interested in assisting in the development of the national economy. Once again, in this relationship, I would like to tell you that Japanese business people talk about the possible hardships when targeting economic relations with Bangladesh. They point out basically four issues. One is the lack of economic infrastructure. Although the construction of roads has been making big progress, electricity and other energy areas of infrastructure still must improve. Secondly, although you have been investing a lot in the service sector, your investment in the manufacturing sector is very limited. Therefore, this will not help potential Japanese investors go to your market. Thirdly, they point out that in the past, the domestic instability has not helped potential investors go and invest in your country. But I hope that this issue will be solved in the future. Fourthly, the Japanese people point out that in comparison with the availability of the so-called "hardware," still the lack of the development of the so-called "software," e.g., human resources development and other technology, is in fact hindering Japanese potential investors from going to your market. That is basically what the Japanese people are thinking about.
Investment in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Q: Do you see any increase in investments in Pakistan?

Spokesman Hashimoto: As I told you, South Asia, including your country, is still relatively unknown in Japan. So we need your help. Now, you have a very good opportunity to let your people know about Japan. At the same time, we want to have a chance to know more about your region. Once the region itself, including your country, provides such a big potential, I think that more Japanese people should be seriously interested in your region. With the establishment of a new Government in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, we welcome efforts for your country to engage in fruitful talks with the Indian Government. We hope that you can effectively manage the relationship with India, so that the sensitive situation between the two countries will not be a hindrance to developing cooperation in the South Asia region. We regard the SAARC in a positive light, and we welcome the further cooperation of the SAARC, which will help provide better opportunities toward economic development. The development of SAARC will help Japanese potential investors take interest in your region.

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