Press Conference by the Press Secretary September 16, 1997

Japan-Russia fishery talks
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hiroshi Hashimoto: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I am delighted to be holding my first press conference after a one-and-a-half month break. Recently, I am sure that you have enjoyed the press conferences by the Deputy Press Secretary. I am delighted to continue to work with you for the rest of the year. At the invitation of President Boris Yeltsin of the Russian Federation, Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto will visit Krasnoyarsk in the Russian Federation from 1-2 November to engage in Summit Talks. Japan and the Russian Federation share the view that the foremost objective of this meeting will be to further strengthen the friendly relations between President Yeltsin and Prime Minister Hashimoto. Japan's position has consistently been to resolve the Northern Territories issue, conclude a peace treaty and completely normalize Japan-Russia relations on the basis of the Tokyo Declaration. Japan and Russia have agreed to hold in Tokyo between 22 and 26 September the eleventh negotiations on the framework concerning Japanese fishing vessels operating in the waters near the four northern islands. Recently, there have been clear indications that the Russian authorities are making utmost efforts in regard to these negotiations. Japan wishes to achieve an early settlement to these negotiations in cooperation with Russia.
Relations with China and Russia
Q: I would like to know how much Japan is prepared to make security coordination with China and Russia to stabilize the situation in the area?

Spokesman Hashimoto: I am not particularly sure what you have in mind. But as you know, Japan and the Russian Federation have been stepping up dialogue on security between the two countries. Also, when Prime Minister Hashimoto visited Beijing at the beginning of this month, he proposed to the Chinese leaders to step up dialogue on security in the two countries. The Chinese leaders, in principle, agreed to this. We have been extending invitations to the Defense Minister of China to visit Japan. And although we have not yet received an answer by the Chinese Government on this visit, we look forward to a favorable answer in the future. At the same time, both the Russian Federation and China are members of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). Japan is very happy to exchange views with those countries on the military situation, views on defense policies concerning mutual interests, as well as views on the general state of the Asia-Pacific region. What I would like to repeat is that, on a bilateral basis and in multilateral fora, Japan is steadfastly stepping up dialogue with those two countries. That is what the Government of Japan has been endeavoring to do so far.
Japan-U.S. Guidelines for Defense Cooperation
Q: Some of the countries in the Asia-Pacific region have expressed doubts and suspicions concerning the new Japan-U.S. Guidelines for Defense Cooperation. What is Japan intending to do to in order to quell these doubts and suspicions over the new Guidelines?

Spokesman Hashimoto: On 23 September, in New York, there will be the so-called 2+2 Meeting. At this meeting, we intend to finalize the Review of the Japan-U.S. Guidelines for Defense Cooperation. When we issued the so-called Interim Report on the Review of the Japan-U.S. Guidelines for Defense Cooperation, the Government of Japan sent some experts on this issue to neighboring countries, including China, the Republic of Korea, and to other countries in the Asia-Pacific region to explain the nature of the Review. While we have not yet decided what to do after we make public the final Defense Guidelines, we will most likely send experts to those countries. In particular, in the case of China, Prime Minister Hashimoto explained to Premier Li Peng of the People's Republic of China and other leaders that Japan would like to send specialists to China to explain the contents of the Japan-U.S. Guidelines for Defense Cooperation in detail. Prime Minister Hashimoto did his best to explain the nature of the Review to the Chinese leaders. He reiterated that the Japan-U.S. security alliance is very important in maintaining peace and stability in the Asia Pacific region. At the same time, Japan adheres to the very important principles which are clearly described in the Japan-China Joint Communiqué and the Japan-China Peace and Friendship Treaty. Japan is determined to develop good relations with China. But at the same time, Prime Minister Hashimoto noted openly that his explanation alone might not be sufficient as far as the Chinese side is concerned. What Japan would like to do is to send experts to China or invite military officials to Japan, including the Defense Minister from China, and ask them to see for themselves the operations of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, in order to understand the nature of defense cooperation between Japan and the United States. At the same time, after we announce the Review of the Japan-U.S. Guidelines for Defense Cooperation, Japan will most likely take necessary internal measures to implement the new Guidelines. In the Diet, politicians will discuss Japan-U.S. defense cooperation in more detail. Therefore, on the basis of those two efforts, we hope that neighboring countries, including China, will further understand the nature of defense cooperation, in order that they would not be disturbed over strengthened Japan-U.S. defense cooperation.

Q: Regarding the Guidelines, the Government of Japan has been seeking U.S. assurance that U.S. forces can cooperate in evacuating Japanese nationals. It has been reported that the United States is very reluctant to do so. Could you comment on this please?

Spokesman Hashimoto: Are you asking about non-combatant and evacuation operations?

Q: Yes, I am.

Spokesman Hashimoto: We still have some time until the 23 September deadline. We must work out the wording of the documentation which will be published on 23 September. So, for the time being, I cannot make a direct comment on your question. However, as the Government of Japan explained, the final document of the Japan-U.S. Guidelines on Defense Cooperation is a broad set of guidelines for cooperation between the two countries. We understand that the two sides will agree on the point that you have raised. However, we must wait and see what wording will be used in the final documentation.
Japan-Russia fishery talks
Q: You mentioned the eleventh negotiations on the framework concerning Japanese fishing vessels operating in the waters near the four northern islands. Do you foresee the possibility of signing an agreement before the end of this year on this matter?

Spokesman Hashimoto: At this stage, we cannot say whether or not we will sign the agreement at the next round of negotiations. In general, as I told you at the outset, Japan wants to achieve an early settlement to these negotiations. Although we have cleared up many points, some difficult points still remain. We have got to clear up those difficult points and we therefore cannot say whether everything will be solved in the next round of negotiations. However, because these negotiations are extremely important toward improving the bilateral relationship, we are very glad that the Russian side is sincere in reaching an agreement in the future. We hope that the goodwill of the two sides will bear fruit so that we can make further progress, even if we cannot reach an agreement in the upcoming round of negotiations.
Japan-Russia foreign ministerial-level talks in New York
Q: Are there any specific topics that the Japanese side would like to raise during the possible meeting between Foreign Minister Obuchi and Foreign Minister Primakov in New York?

Spokesman Hashimoto: Regarding the meetings between Minister for Foreign Affairs Keizo Obuchi and his counterparts in New York, we are hurriedly arranging the details of each meeting. I presume that my colleague has explained to you that the Japanese side is arranging meetings with various ministers, including Minister for Foreign Affairs Evgenii Maksimovich Primakov of the Russian Federation. However, the topics of the meetings will not be worked out beforehand, as I understand. I had the chance to attend the previous meeting between Foreign Minister Ikeda and Foreign Minister Primakov. At that time, they exchanged views on various subjects and the atmosphere was good. Therefore, in the same way, I am sure that Foreign Minister Obuchi and Foreign Minister Primakov will find sufficient time to exchange views on several subjects, including the preparations for the Summit in Krasnoyarsk.
Japan-China security issues
Q: You just mentioned that the Japanese Government will make efforts so that China will not be disturbed over Japan-U.S. defense cooperation. From what I understand, the Chinese are disturbed because the Guidelines may include or cover the Taiwan Straits. Do you mean by the word "efforts" that Japan will give some kind of guarantee to China that the Guidelines will not cover the Taiwan Straits?

Spokesman Hashimoto: My colleague has probably already explained this to you. Prime Minister Hashimoto explained this to the Chinese leaders in Beijing, and I had the chance to brief the foreign correspondents in Beijing that the so-called "situation in surrounding area" is not a geographical concept, but rather a situational concept. What we would like to stress here is that the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty is a cornerstone for maintaining peace and stability in the entire Asia-Pacific region. We hope that China will understand that. At the same time, Japan would like to develop good, neighborly relations with China on the basis of the Japan-China Joint Communiqué and the Peace and Friendship Treaty. In fact, this has been the case since we normalized the diplomatic relations with China. We have never intended to change the basic structure of the Japan-U.S. security alliance. Therefore, in the future we should patiently continue to explain the nature of the alliance to the Chinese leaders, so that our actions convey that China should not be concerned over the existence of the Japan-U.S. security alliance. For the time being, the Chinese leaders may find it still difficult to assure us of their full understanding of this. However, we are determined to continue to explain the essence of Japan-U.S. defense cooperation in line with what I have explained to you.

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